This is Life
by elang4
Summary: Sequel to The Gilmore Twins! Follow the lives of your favourite characters after we rejoin them after 5 years have passed. There will be laughter, tears and love.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter deleted!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so I've been thinking about this long and hard over this weekend and I think I may have made a mistake. I've taken your comments on board and I feel like maybe I was being a bit ambitious so if you'll let me, I'd like to start over with this sequel. So this still takes place 5 years after The Gilmore Twins ended and I will fill in the gaps as the story progresses. :) I hope you prefer this version! :)**

Chapter 1

It was Christmas Eve in Stars Hollow and the Gilmore/Danes family were getting together in preparation for Christmas. Charlotte and Jess had just arrived with Jack, who was now 6 years old.

"You're getting too big for this." Jess grumbled as Jack insisted on getting a piggy back ride for his dad.

"Yeah but his dad can't resist those puppy dog eyes." Charlotte teased.

"Those he got from you." Jess said.

"Sammy!" Jack suddenly exclaimed excitedly as another car drove up the driveway to the house and he scrambled to get down.

"Whoa, hold on." Jess said making sure he got down safely.

Jack ran over to the car where Sam and Rory were getting out. "Sammy!" He exclaimed excitedly launching himself into his arms.

"Hey you!" Sam chuckled spinning him around a few times.

"Great. I create him, I bring him up but my best friend still beats me." Jess said dryly.

"Aw hon, I still love you." Charlotte grinned, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks." He smirked.

"Rory!" Charlotte then exclaimed and gave her sister a big hug. "It's been too long!"

"I know! It's so good to see you!" Rory said reciprocating the hug.

"Ok let's get inside before he decides he wants you to become his new dad." Jess smirked at Sam.

"Hey, what can I say? Kids like me." Sam grinned.

"Why would I want Sam as my new daddy?" Jack asked confused.

"Because you like him better than me." Jess smirked.

"I don't!" Jack exclaimed. "I want you to keep being my daddy. Why, do you not want to be my daddy?" He said worried.

"Well done." Charlotte smirked at Jess.

"No, I didn't mean that." Jess assured his son. "Of course I want to be your daddy. I love being your daddy." He smiled ruffling his son's hair.

"Ok." Jack said relaxing. "I do like Uncle Sam though." He said smiling slightly.

"Right, get in you." Jess said chuckling as they all headed towards the house.

"Oh my, are those really my offsprings that have failed to call me for weeks?" Lorelai grinned as the front door open.

"Maybe." Rory and Charlotte grinned in unison.

"Come here!" She grinned giving her daughters a hug. "Just promise it won't be this long next time." She teased.

"We promise." Rory said. "Sorry, it's been crazy at work."

"Yeah same with me." Charlotte said.

"Well then, I guess you can be forgiven." Lorelai said.

"Grandma!" Jack exclaimed rushing forward to give her a hug.

"Hey Jack!" Lorelai smiled, picking him up as they all headed inside. She realised both Charlotte and Rory had stopped in the doorway to the living room. "What?" She said.

"Have we walked into an alternative universe or something?" Charlotte joked.

"What?" Lorelai laughed.

"That." Rory said gesturing to the couch where Luke and Chris were sat watching sport on the tv, drinking beers and sharing a joke together.

"Oh they do this all the time." Lorelai said.

"Seriously?" Charlotte said surprised.

"You knew they hung out! You've seen it before." She said.

"I know. It's still weird though." Charlotte joked.

"Oh yeah, I actually think Luke prefers your dad's company to mine now." Lorelai joked, her eyes twinkling. "I'm just going to check on the girls outside." She said going through to the kitchen.

"This is weird right?" Charlotte checked with Rory.

"Oh yeah, it's weird." Rory said.

"Nice though..." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Rory smiled.

"Luke, dad, hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"You're here!" Luke smiled getting up with Chris and going to give them both a hug.

"How were your journeys?" Chris smiled.

"Not bad." Rory nodded.

"Yeah, good, seeing as we came from Zach and Lane's house." Charlotte joked. "So are you staying here then?" She asked their dad.

"No, we're staying at the inn." Chris said.

"We?"

"Oh well, Gigi is outside playing with Mia and Penny's actually coming tomorrow to join us for Christmas Day." Chris said.

"We finally get to meet the mystery girlfriend then!" Charlotte grinned.

"We've heard so much about her." Rory nodded.

"Yeah well promise to be nice ok? She's really nervous about meeting you all."

"Us, nice? Would we be anything else?" Charlotte said her eyes twinkling.

"Just promise." Chris shook his head.

"We promise." Rory smirked.

"I'm going to dump our bags." Jess said.

"Yeah, me too." Sam said.

"Oh right, yeah, of course! Jess, you and Charlotte are going to be in new bedroom in the extension off the kitchen." Luke said. "Rory, you and Sam are in your normal room."

"Oooh the extension! I've been so excited to see it!" Charlotte grinned, going to follow Jess.

"Mommy, can I watch the tv with Grandpa Luke and Grandpa Chris?" Jack asked.

"Of course." Charlotte smiled, ruffling his hair. "No swearing in front of him." She warned her dad and Luke.

"Us, swearing?" Chris smirked.

"Touche." Charlotte smirked before going off to follow Jess.

* * *

"Is it weird being back in your old room?" Sam asked Rory as he helped her unpack their things.

"Kind of. It has been a while." Rory said looking round the room. It hadn't changed much. Everything was in the same place it was before apart from Charlotte's bed having moved presumably into the new bedroom.

"Do you miss being here?" Sam asked.

"A little." Rory admitted. She glanced at him. "But only because I miss the family."

"So no regrets about getting the apartment?" Sam checked.

Rory smiled. "No, no regrets at all." She said softly.

"Just checking." Sam smiled softly.

Rory smiled and went over to him, pulling him into a kiss. "The last 5 years have been really great." She said softly.

"Good." Sam said softly, pulling her in for another kiss.

"Get a room!" A voice said from the doorway.

They turned to see Charlotte standing there grinning and Jess smirking. "I believe this is a room." Rory smirked.

"Yeah so?" Charlotte grinned going in with Jess. "It did used to be my room as well so I have every right to be in here as well." She joked.

"How's the extension?" Rory asked.

"Really great! Luke did an amazing job with it." Charlotte smiled. "And Mia's room looks great as well."

"Cool!" Rory smiled. "Come join us for a minute." She said.

"So how's the New York Times?" Charlotte asked as her and Jess started helping them continue to unpack.

"Really good!" Rory enthused. "I get to write articles all the time. I feel like they like me which is good, I guess."

"Well of course they were going to like you. You're the best writer they've got. You were a shoe in for that permanent job." Charlotte smiled.

"Exactly what I said." Sam said. "How's the music going?" He asked Jess.

"Good." Jess nodded.

"So how many tours have you been on now?" He asked.

"Only 3." Jess said. "It's good fun but it's hard to be away from Charlotte and Jack."

"But you're staying with it right?" Sam said.

"I don't know." Jess shrugged.

"I thought you were enjoying it." Sam said confused.

"I am." He said. "It's just with Lane and Zach trying to start a family now and Gil and Brian getting promoted in their jobs, we don't get that much time to play together anymore."

"That sucks." Sam said.

"Yeah but it's ok." Jess said.

"He's been writing again." Charlotte told them.

"Charlie..." Jess said.

"What? I think it's great!" She smiled.

"Writing? As in another book?" Rory asked interested.

"Possibly." Jess admitted. "But I've been writing some songs as well."

"That's cool. I always thought you shouldn't have given up your writing." Sam said.

"Sorry dad." Jess smirked.

"Glad to hear it." Sam smirked.

"So how's your illustrating going?" Rory asked her sister.

Charlotte smiled. She was now a fully fledged illustrator for books. She loved it. "Yeah really good. I'm really busy at the moment though." She said.

"You should see them. They're really good." Jess said.

Charlotte shot Jess a smile and ducked her head. "I just love doing it and my boss seems to keep liking them so I'm lucky." She said.

"Hey, you four see each other more than I see you so get your asses out here and spend time with your mommy or else!" Lorelai grinned opening the door.

"Coming." Charlotte laughed.

"You two want some coffee? Luke's just put a batch on." She asked.

"Yes please! I've missed Luke's coffee." Rory said.

"I'm ok. I'll just have a soda." Charlotte smiled.

"Seriously?" Lorelai said surprised. "I don't see you for weeks and suddenly you're like a different person. Even more reason to make time to see me." She joked. "I blame you for her not drinking coffee a much!" She teased Jess.

"Hey, nothing to do with me." Jess said holding his arms up.

"I've found it wires me up too much." Charlotte said. "I've been working late and I thought coffee would help but then I can never sleep so I've tried to cut down a bit." She shrugged.

"Well I guess that's ok. So long as you haven't given it up completely." Lorelai said.

"No way!" Charlotte laughed. "Just for now." She assured her.

"Well come on then, we're going to have a movie night." She smiled. "And if you take too long, all the snacks will be gone." She grinned before disappearing off.

* * *

Later that evening, Sam and Charlotte were in the kitchen replenishing the snacks. As they were about to head back inside, something suddenly fell out of Sam's pocket.

"Hey, you dropped this!" Charlotte said picking up a small box. "What is it?" She asked opening it.

"Oh, nothing. Just a Christmas present for Rory." Sam said quickly, trying to get it back but it was too late.

"Oh my god!" Charlotte exclaimed looking down at the ring that was in the box and then she looked back up at Sam excitedly. "Is this...?"

"Shhh!" Sam whispered, taking it back. "She's just in there." He said gesturing to the living room.

Charlotte's face broke out into a beam. "Is it what I think it is?" She said excitedly.

"Might be." Sam said ducking his head slightly.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed again but quieter this time. She grinned and gave him a big hug. "You're seriously going to ask her to marry you?" She smiled softly.

"Well...I need to ask your mom for permission first and your dad and Luke but...yeah." He said. "That was the plan."

"This is so great!" Charlotte enthused.

"Well don't get too carried away yet. She has to say yes first." Sam said chuckling nervously.

"Oh she'll say yes." Charlotte said. "Every phone call I get from Rory, she can't stop going on about how great you are. It's sickening really." She teased.

Sam blushed slightly. "She does?" He asked softly.

She smiled at him. "She loves you, Sam. You've been together 6 years and I've never seen her this happy with someone before." She said softly. "She adores you."

"Well the feeling's mutual." Sam smiled self consciously. He glanced at her. "So I take it I have your permission then to ask her?"

"What? You don't need my permission." She laughed.

"I know. But I'd like your blessing. You mean so much to Rory. I wouldn't do it if you weren't happy." He said sincerely.

Charlotte was stunned. "Sam, I really like you. You make Rory so happy and that's all that matters to me so of course you have my blessing." She smiled.

"Ok good." Sam smiled. "We better get back in there."

"When are you going to do it?" She grinned.

"All in good time." He said.

"But when?" She said following him back to the living room.

"Shh!" He smirked.

Charlotte grinned but fell quiet as they entered the living room. Sam went to join Rory on the armchair while Charlotte went to sit next to Jess, who had Jack snuggled up on his lap.

"Everything ok?" Jess asked.

"Everything's great." Charlotte smiled, giving him a kiss.

Charlotte smiled as they continued on with the film. She took the time to look round the room at her family. She couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face as she watched her sister snuggle up next to Sam, knowing what he was planning. She shared a secretive smile with him as he glanced over at her. She was so happy for them both. Rory had worked her way up at the New York Times. She'd made a great impression during her internship that they had decided to keep her on and now she was a permanent fixture there. Her and Sam's relationship only got stronger as Rory moved to New York. Sam was still working at The Strand but he had been able to save a lot of money and last year, they had finally decided to move in together. Rory was hesitant at moving too quickly but after 4 years of them being together, she knew it was Sam that she wanted to be with. So they bought an apartment together and spent the years gradually furnishing it and doing it up.

Charlotte then glanced over at her mom and Luke, the latter who was playing with Mia's hair as she sat snuggled on his lap. They were still as strong as they had ever been and they doted on Mia. She smiled softly as she thought about her 5 year old sister. She was great and her, Rory and Mia had bonded almost immediately. They couldn't be closer as sisters.

She then glanced over at her dad who was sat with Gigi, snuggled into his side. She was really proud of her dad. He had really stepped up for Gigi and he was a great dad to her. There was always that little bit of resentment as to why he couldn't have been like that to her and Rory but her relationship with her dad had grown and progressed a lot during the last five years and she knew that her dad needed to have had Gigi for them to be where they were now so it turned out well. And Gigi was great. She got on well with Mia even though she was a few years older than her. She was also happy that her dad has seemed to have settled down finally with Penny. He seemed really happy with her and apparently Gigi had really taken to her as well. Her dad and Luke had actually become friends as well surprisingly. They found that they actually had a lot in common and because Luke didn't see him as a threat anymore, they actually enjoyed each other's company, which was still weird to observe.

Charlotte then smiled as she glanced beside her at Jess and Jack. Her and Jess had just kept getting stronger and stronger over the last five years. Jess was still seeing his therapist but only from time to time and his relationship with his mom had improved greatly as well. Jack was amazing as well. He'd started school last year which was a big landmark and she remembered teasing Jess when he got a bit emotional seeing their son off on his first day. She suddenly saw Jess glance at her.

"What?" He smirked.

"Nothing." She smiled. "Just thinking about how great these last five years have been."

"Huh." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder focusing back on the tv. A lot had changed over the last five years but she wouldn't change anything at all. She subtly put her hand on her stomach and snuggled closer to her husband as the movie continued.

 **So I hope you prefer this! :) Please review and let me know what you think! I hope a lot of you will stay with me now! :) Thank you for all your support! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all your support so far! I'm feeling happier about this sequel now and I'm glad you all seem to be as well. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 2

Charlotte woke up on Christmas morning. She smiled across at Jess in their bed but then suddenly got up and sprinted to the bathroom, just in time to throw up in the toilet. She groaned as she brought up the contents of her stomach. This wasn't how she wanted to start Christmas morning. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and she froze, thinking it might be Jess. She couldn't tell him yet. She had an idea about how to but she didn't want it to be like this.

"Charlotte?" A voice said.

She relaxed when she heard it was Rory. She quickly washed her face and swilled her mouth with water before opening the door. "Sorry, I didn't realise anyone was up." She said.

"On Christmas Day? Really?" Rory laughed.

Charlotte laughed." Yeah I guess you're right." She said before suddenly having to run to the toilet again.

"Whoa, are you ok?" Rory said concerned rushing to her sister's aid.

"Yeah...I..uh...I probably just ate too much junk food yesterday." Charlotte said.

"We can never eat too much junk food." Rory joked.

"Well what else..." She started before throwing up again. "Urgh..." She groaned.

"Seriously are you ok?" Rory said worried.

"I'm fine. Like I said, probably too much junk food." Charlotte said, feeling a bit better and getting up.

"You didn't even eat that much last night." Rory frowned. "Hang on..." She said.

"What?" Charlotte said.

""You turned down coffee yesterday..."

"So?"

"And the last time you threw up this much was when you were pregnant with Jack." She commented. Rory saw Charlotte freeze and her eyes widened. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed.

"Shhhhh!" Charlotte begged.

"Charlotte, are you...?" Rory exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes ok! Yes I am but I haven't told Jess yet. I have a plan to tell him so please don't say anything before I tell him. Please Ror?" Charlotte begged.

"Aw Charlie, this is amazing!" Rory said beaming and going to hug her. "Isn't it?" Rory checked.

Charlotte smiled. "Well I think so." She said softly. "Just promise me you won't say anything. I'm going to tell Jess today and then I'll tell everyone but I want Jess to know first."

"Of course. I won't say a word." Rory promised.

"Thank you." Charlotte said relieved.

"Congratulations sis." Rory smiled softly, giving her another hug.

"Thank you." Charlotte smiled softly.

* * *

Luke, Lorelai, Charlotte, Jess, Rory, Sam, Mia and Jack were all gathered in the living room later that morning having opened all the present. Everyone was very pleased about what they have received and Mia and Jack were happily playing with their presents on the floor. Charlotte sat on the couch, smiling as she watched Jess get down on the floor and play with Jack with some of the remote control cars they had gotten him. She saw Rory watching her and she exchanged a small smile with her, both thinking about the same thing. Charlotte then tried to hide her smile as she saw Sam follow Lorelai into the kitchen, knowing he had been trying to find a time to talk to her about proposing to Rory.

Just then the doorbell rang and Charlotte got up. "That'll be dad." She said. "Let's go meet our new mommy." She grinned.

Rory laughed and got up with her and followed her to the door.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled as she opened the door and saw their dad. "Hey Gigi! Merry Christmas!" She smiled at their younger sister.

"Merry Christmas!" Gigi said excitedly.

"There are presents for you in the other room. You can go on through if you want and open them." Rory smiled.

"Can I, dad?" Gigi asked excitedly, looking up at Chris.

"Of course." Chris smiled watching her rush off. "So..uh..I guess we should do introductions..." He said nervously. "Penny, these are my daughters, Charlotte and Rory."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Penny smiled sincerely at them.

"You too." Rory said.

"Yeah, we were starting to think you were made up." Charlotte joked.

Penny laughed. "Well I could say the same about you two." She joked, her eyes twinkling.

"I like her." Charlotte grinned at her dad.

"I'm so glad." Chris said dryly.

Rory laughed. "It's cool you could come today. Come on inside." She said.

"After you." Chris chuckled.

* * *

That afternoon, everyone was finishing off their Christmas dinner in the living room. "So Luke, April's coming tomorrow right?" Rory asked.

"Yeah." Luke smiled. "She's with her mom today but she's coming to us for a few days tomorrow."

"That's cool! I was worried she wouldn't visit until New Year and I wouldn't get to see her before we have to leave." Rory said.

"When are you heading back?" Chris asked.

"New Year's Day." Rory said.

"Ok well, if you two are up for it, Penny and I would love to take you out for a meal before you go." Chris said.

"Cool!" Rory smiled.

"So you're up for it?" He asked happily.

"Sure." She nodded.

"Charlie?" Chris said.

"I'm up for it." She nodded.

"Ok good." He smiled, pleased.

"So, Penny, you work with Chris right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah." Penny nodded.

"Are you his boss?" She grinned.

"Ha no!" Penny laughed. "That would be a bit weird. We're just colleagues."

"It's still weird hearing about Chris having an actual job and doing work." Lorelai teased.

"Thanks Lor." Chris shook his head.

"Well...you don't have the best track record." She grinned.

"And there's the cue to wash up." Luke smirked. "Chris, want to escape to the kitchen?"

"Please." He nodded, getting up. "You better not discuss me when I'm out of the room."

"Would we?" Penny said innocently.

Lorelai grinned. "I like her."

"Totally!" Charlotte grinned.

"You two are too alike." Chris gestured between them, shaking his head.

"Right, let's let the guys wash up and why don't we head outside the back with the kids? Let them run around a bit. We could build snowmen and have snowball fights!" Lorelai said, getting up. "And we can finish swapping notes on Chris."

"Sounds like a plan." Penny laughed.

"Girls?" Lorelai said.

"I'm up for it." Rory said.

"Yeah I'll be right out." Charlotte said. "I just want to talk to Jess about something first."

"Ok." Lorelai smiled.

"Can I go out mommy?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Of course! And then I'll beat you in a snowball fight." Charlotte grinned.

"No, I always beat you!" Jack grinned, starting to follow Lorelai, Penny and Mia.

"Put your coat, hat, scarf, gloves and boots on first." Jess said.

"But daddy..." Jack groaned.

"No discussion." Jess said.

"Fine." Jack grumbled following Lorelai.

"I'll go help Luke and Chris wash up and then I'll meet you outside." Sam told Rory.

"Ok. Don't be too long." Rory smiled giving him a kiss.

"I won't." He smiled disappearing through to the kitchen.

Jess glanced at Charlotte. "So you wanted to talk to me about something?" He said.

"Yeah...well, I wanted to give you something actually." Charlotte said reaching right to the back of the tree and then handing him two gifts. "Last two presents." She smiled.

"You didn't have to get me anything else. I feel bad now." Jess said.

"Nah don't be silly. This is...well...just open them and you'll see." She said, biting her lip nervously.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam had joined Luke and Chris in the kitchen and was washing dishes in the sink. "So..uh..since you're both here together...I wanted to talk to you about something." He said nervously.

"What about?" Chris asked.

"Well...I've already asked Lorelai but I know it's tradition to ask the dad. And well since you are Rory's dad..." He said glancing at Chris. "And I know Rory respects your opinion as well and you're her step dad..." Sam said. He took a nervous pause as he saw them looking at him, waiting for him to continue. "I love Rory and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And I...uh...I would very much like to ask for your blessing for me to ask her to marry me..." He managed to get out.

Chris and Luke were taken aback and didn't know what to say.

"So?" Sam said getting worried.

"You've talked to Lorelai about this?" Luke said slowly.

"This morning." Sam nodded.

"And what did she say?" Chris asked.

"That I could ask..." He said cautiously. "Look, I respect both of you and I know you both want the best for Rory but I really do love her. I promise that I will never hurt her and always look out for her."

Luke and Chris exchanged a glance. "Well...if Lorelai said yes, who are we to stand in the way?" Luke said.

"But I want your blessing. It means a lot to me and I know it would mean a lot to Rory." Sam insisted.

"Well you've got it from me." Chris said. "You make Rory happy and that's all I want for her."

"Thank you." Sam said relieved. He glanced at Luke. "So?"

"You've got the mother and father's blessing. You hardly need mine." Luke shrugged.

"I still want it." Sam said. "For so many years, you were Rory's father figure. She loves you and I know that if she knew you were for this, she'd hesitate about saying yes."

Luke sighed. "Look, I like you Sam. I know Rory loves you but I just don't get why you need my blessing."

"Because since my dad died, I haven't had a father figure until I reconnected with Jess and met you. And if I get your blessings and Rory says yes when I ask, I want you stood up there with me." Sam said sincerely.

Luke was stunned that Sam thought about him like that. "Uh...well yeah, you can ask her..." He said.

"Really? I have your blessing?" Sam said relieved.

"You have my blessing." Luke nodded.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. "Both of you."

* * *

Jess opened the first of his two presents from Charlotte. He held up a t-shirt and read the writing on the front, _Congratulations daddy!_ He looked at Charlotte confused. "What?"

"Open the next one." Charlotte said nervously.

Jess opened the smaller second one which was a rectangular box. He opened it and was quiet as he took out the contents of it. A pregnancy stick. He glanced at her. "You're..." He said surprised.

"Two lines mean positive so...yeah." She said nervously. "And before you ask, I did three other ones just to make sure."

"You're pregnant..." Jess said softly.

"Yeah.." Charlotte said quietly. "Are...are you happy?" She said nervously.

"Are you kidding?" Jess exclaimed, getting up. "You're having my baby again! We're going to be parents again!" His face broke out into a grin.

"I know!" Charlotte beamed getting up as well.

"You're definitely pregnant?" Jess said.

"I'm definitely pregnant." Charlotte smiled softly.

Jess took her by surprise by hugging her and spinning her round. "I love you so much!" He said giving her a loving kiss.

"I love you too." She laughed. "So you're happy?"

"Happy? No. Ecstatic? Probably doesn't cut it." He grinned.

Charlotte let out a breath, not knowing why her eyes filled up with tears. "Jack's going to have a sibling."

"He's going to be so excited. Have you told him yet?" Jess asked.

"No. I haven't told anyone. Well, Rory found out but that's only because she found me throwing up this morning and what with me turning coffee down yesterday, she put two and two together." Charlotte admitted. "But I wanted us to tell Jack together."

"It's fine." Jess smiled. "We should tell him before everyone else though."

"I agree." She nodded. "Let's head outside now and we can tell him after." She smiled.

"Sounds good." Jess nodded.

They headed outside to the back porch and they smiled as they watched Jack running round in the snow happily, Luke, Chris and Sam having joined everyone else. Charlotte stood on the porch watching her son, smiling. She felt Jess' hand hold hers. She glanced at him and smiled softly. "This has been a pretty good Christmas day right?" She said softly.

"It outranks any for me." Jess said sincerely.

Charlotte leant her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait." She said softly.

"Me neither." Jess smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Charlotte smiled. She then got a glint in her eye and picked up a handful of snow and throwing it at him.

"Oh that's how you're playing it huh?" Jess smirked. "Ok, it's on!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" She laughed before running off towards everyone else, Jess in hot pursuit.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for your support! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 3

Charlotte smiled as she stood listening to Jack asking Jess about the baby.

"But will it be a boy or a girl?" Jack asked.

"We don't know yet." Jess said.

"I think it will be a boy." Jack said.

"Why do you think that?" Jess said smirking slightly.

"Because I was a boy." Jack said as if it was obvious. "And I want a brother to play with. Boys are better."

"Excuse me?" Charlotte said raising her eyebrows as she made herself known, walking in. "And why exactly are boys better, mister?"

"Because they are." Jack shrugged.

"We've got a real debater in the family." Jess smirked.

"I know you want it to be a boy but it could be a girl. You could be getting a younger sister." Charlotte pointed out.

"No, it won't be a girl." Jack said surely.

"But what if it is?" Charlotte said.

Jack frowned. "Then I won't like her. And I won't like you for having a girl."

"Jack!" Jess said sternly. "You don't talk to your mom like that. Apologise. Now."

"Sorry." Jack said meekly.

Charlotte sighed and sat down. "We know you're excited about the baby. So are we." She said softly, sitting down at the kitchen table with them. "But when someone has a baby, it's always going to be 50/50 whether it will be a girl or a boy. We may not find out until he or she is born."

"But if it is a girl, you're still going to be a big brother and you can look out for her like we will but also like we do for you." Jess said. "But I don't want to hear that you won't like her if you get a sister because that's not nice and we didn't raise you to be like that." He said firmly.

"Sorry." Jack said quietly.

"I have a younger sister, your cousin Doula." Jess told him. "It's pretty cool."

"It is?" Jack asked glancing at him in interest.

"Oh yeah! I wasn't sure I would be happy but I love Doula. Just like you'll immediately love your younger sibling." Jess nodded. "Except there is a difference."

"What?" Jack asked.

"You and your brother or sister will be closer together in age so when they're old enough, you'll be able to play with them. That would be cool right?" Jess said.

"Yeah..."

Jess nodded. "Good, now eat your breakfast." He smirked. He glanced at Charlotte who was smiling lovingly at him. "What?" He said self consciously.

"Nothing." She said. "Just that you're a great dad."

Jess ducked his head slightly. "Are you off to see your mom?" He asked.

"Yeah, in a minute." Charlotte sighed.

"It will be fine." He assured her.

"Last time I told her I was pregnant, we didn't speak for months." Charlotte said quietly.

"But that was different. You were younger then. We're older and we're married. We're stable." Jess said. "She'll be happy, I'm sure about it. Plus you know how much she adores Jack."

"Yeah I guess..." She said.

"It'll be fine." He assured her again.

"You're going to tell Luke, right?" She checked.

"Yeah, I'm going to take Jack over to the diner and I'll tell Luke then." He nodded.

"Ok cool." She smiled. She leant over and gave him a quick kiss. "eet you there later? We can hang out before the party."

"Sounds good." Jess said.

"Love you."

"Love you too." He said.

* * *

Charlotte walked into the inn and immediately saw her mom behind the reception desk. "Hey!" She said.

"Oh hi hon!" Lorelai smiled at her daughter. She watched her as she hovered quietly. "Everything ok?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah everything's fine." She said. "Actually, do you have a minute? Maybe we could grab some food in the dining room?"

"Sure! We're not that busy and Sookie's on her game today with the food." Lorelai said.

"Great." Charlotte smiled.

They were soon sat in the dining room with a plate of Sookie's food in front of them. Lorelai glanced up at her daughter and she could tell something was up. "Are you sure everything's ok?" She said.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Charlotte said hesitantly.

"Charlie..."

"What?"

"Come on, I know you inside out. Something's bothering you." Lorelai said. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

Charlotte sighed. "Well...I did want to get you alone as..uh..I have something to share with you. Some news." She said nervously.

"Some news?" Lorelai said cautiously. "Bad news?"

"What? Oh no, it's good news! Really good news. Well Jess and I think so." Charlotte said quickly.

"So it's to do with both of you then..." She said.

Charlotte went quiet and took a deep breath. "I...uh...I..." She tried.

"Charlotte, what's going on?" Lorelai asked softly.

"I'm pregnant." She finally admitted.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"I'm pregnant. Again." Charlotte said quietly, glancing up at her mom nervously.

"Oh hon, that's amazing news!" Lorelai exclaimed, getting up and pulling her into a hug.

"It is?" Charlotte said letting out a relieved breath.

"Of course it is! I'm so happy for you both!" Lorelai smiled softly. She glanced at her daughter's relieved face. "Why, did you think I wouldn't be happy?" She said confused.

"Well...you weren't exactly thrilled the first time I told you I was pregnant." She said.

"Oh hon..." She said softly. "That was...well that was me being stupid. We were going through some stuff and I'm not proud about how I reacted then."

"Jack's excited." Charlotte smiled softly.

"I bet he is." She smiled softly. "And Jess?"

"He's so happy. I'd never seen him that happy before." She admitted.

"So when did you find out?" Lorelai asked.

"A few days before Christmas." She admitted. "But I wasn't hiding it from you. I just...I wanted it to be a surprise for Jess at Christmas and I wanted him to know first."

"That's understandable." Lorelai said.

"And then we wanted to tell Jack."

"Charlotte, it's fine." She smiled softly.

"So, you're happy?" Charlotte checked.

"I'm going to be a Grandma again. Of course I'm happy!" Lorelai smiled. "Come here." She said pulling her daughter in for another hug.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jess was at the diner sat at the counter. Jack had gone to sit with Zach and Brian who were in there as well. "So I've got something to tell you." He said as Luke walked up to him with some food.

"Yeah?" Luke said glancing at him. "What is it?"

"Charlotte told me something at Christmas. Some news." Jess said.

"What?" He asked.

"She's pregnant." Jess told him, glancing up at him.

"Pregnant?" Luke said surprised.

"Yeah..."

"Wow.." Luke said softly.

"Who's pregnant?" A voice said behind them.

Jess turned to see Sam there, walking up and sitting next to him. "Charlotte." He told his best friend.

"Charlotte's pregnant?" Sam said surprised.

"Wait, Charlotte's pregnant?" Babette suddenly said from a nearby table.

"How did we not know that?" Patty said.

"I'll go and make sure everyone knows!" Kirk volunteered.

"No, Kirk, wait!" Jess exclaimed but Kirk had already left. "Ah geez!" He groaned.

"Sorry." Sam said sheepishly.

"It's fine. It's not your fault." Jess sighed.

"So you're going to be a dad again huh?" Luke said.

"Looks like it." Jess nodded.

"You excited?"

Jess couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. "Yeah." He admitted.

Luke smiled softly. "I'm happy for you. Both of you."

"Thanks." Jess said softly.

Luke glanced at Sam who was still sat there. "Is Mia ok?" He asked.

"Oh yeah she's fine! Rory's sharing some of her old books with her." Sam smirked.

Luke chuckled. "Yeah she definitely got her love of reading."

"I'm on a food run but I was actually wondering if I could ask you a favour?" He said.

"Depends what it is." Luke said.

"Can I have the keys to the diner tonight?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Why?" Luke said confused.

"I want to cook Rory a meal this evening before we join the party. But I know she loves the diner food and I want it to be special." He said.

Luke looked at him for a moment. "You're going to ask her tonight, aren't you?" He said quietly.

Sam ducked his head slightly. "I was planning to, yeah." He admitted.

"Ask her what?" Jess asked.

Sam glanced at his friend and was surprised Charlotte hadn't told him already. He glanced round the diner and lowered his voice. "I'm going to propose to Rory." He told him.

"Seriously?" Jess said surprised.

"Yeah."

"Mate, that's great!" Jess smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"She has to say yes yet." He chuckled nervously. He glanced up at Luke. "I won't mess up the place, I promise. I'll make sure it's how you left it."

Luke looked at him for another moment. "How about I prepare some food for you guys and leave it for you just as I close up so it will still be hot?" He suggested.

"Really?" Sam said surprised.

"Yeah it's no problem. I know Rory's favourites." He shrugged.

"That would be amazing." Sam said. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

"Come by about 7 and the keys will be above the door. I'll leave the food in the kitchen." Luke said.

"Thanks Luke." Sam said gratefully.

* * *

That evening, Luke and Lorelai were at the party in the square, after Luke had left his keys for Sam and after Lorelai had dropped Mia off at Sookie's where Jack was as well.

"I can't believe he's actually doing it tonight." Lorelai said.

"I know." Luke said. "Do you think Rory has any idea?"

"I don't think so. She hasn't let on if she does." Lorelai said.

Luke glanced at her. "Do you think she will say yes?"

Lorelai smiled softly. "I think Rory's really happy with Sam, yes. The happiest I've seen her in a relationship. But it's her choice. I never know what she thinks." She said.

"He is a good guy, isn't he?" Luke agreed.

"Wow, a boyfriend you actually approve of." Lorelai teased.

"Hey, I liked Tristan!" Luke defended.

Lorelai smirked. "But Logan, you didn't."

"Yeah well Logan was a jerk." He said smirking slightly.

"Now that, I can agree with!" Lorelai laughed. "Look who made it!" She said gesturing over to Charlotte and Jess, who were happily chatting with Lane and Zach. "They look happy, don't they?" She said softly.

Luke smiled, looking over at them. "Yeah they do." He said softly. He glanced at Lorelai and saw an odd expression on her face. "Hey, you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just...my kids are old." She said.

"What?" Luke said confused.

"I mean, I know they've been grown up for a while now but I think it's just hit me. I mean, Rory's going to get married and Charlotte's pregnant again. They really have their own lives now." Lorelai said softly.

"But they will always need you." Luke assured her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to go all melodramatic. I just...I guess finding out that Charlotte's pregnant and that Sam's proposing tonight, it's weird." She admitted. "A good kind of weird though, of course. I am happy for them. I only ever wanted them to be happy." She said.

"I know." Luke smiled. "And hey, not all your kids are old. We've still got Mia."

Lorelai smiled at that. "Yeah we do." She said softly. "And you've still got April as well." She smiled looking over at her step daughter who had joined Jess and Charlotte.

"Yeah." Luke smiled. "Although she seems very grown up now." He joked.

Lorelai laughed. "Just don't beat up any boyfriends and you'll be good." She teased.

"Wait, what? Does April have a boyfriend?" Luke said.

"Let's go get some food." Lorelai grinned.

"Lorelai!"

"Come on!" She grinned at him walking off towards the food.

"Lorelai!" He exclaimed following her.

* * *

"So this was nice..." Rory smiled as her and Sam finished their meal.

"Yeah?" Sam said.

"Yeah." She nodded. "But I don't get it. They have food outside. Why did you want to eat here? After it's closed. And how did you get Luke to agree to it?" She joked.

"Well Luke didn't actually take that much persuading." Sam chuckled.

"And I'm guessing he didn't take much persuading about actually making the food as well?" She said smirking slightly.

"What?" Sam said surprised.

"I've been eating Luke's food for years. I know these things." She smirked.

"Ok, he did make it." Sam admitted sheepishly. "But only because I wanted it to be special and you know I'm not the best cook."

"Well that's true." Rory smirked.

"Hey!" Sam laughed.

"No but seriously, what's all this for? I haven't missed an anniversary, have I?" She said suddenly getting worried.

"No, don't worry. I just...well I wanted some time with you. Is that so bad?" He said.

Rory smiled. "No it's not bad at all." She said softly. "So you want to head outside?" She asked.

"In a minute." Sam said, subtly feeling in his pocket to check the ring was still in there. "I..uh..I did want some time with you alone but there is a reason for that..." He admitted.

"What reason?" She asked.

"I..uh..I wanted to do this when we were alone. Just you and me." Sam said nervously.

"Do what?" Rory asked confused. Her eyes suddenly widened when Sam nervously pulled out the small box with the ring inside. "Oh my god..." She said quietly.

"Rory, I love you so much. When my dad died, I thought I'd never be happy again. But then I met you and you brought my happiness back. These last five years have been amazing and I knew when I first met you and I still know now that you're the one for me. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." He said. He nervously got up and took Rory's hand before getting down on one knee in front of her chair. "So...Rory, will you marry me?" He said.

"Sam..." She said softly, stunned. "I..." She said, not knowing what to say.

"Ok, that's fine." He said getting up.

"What?" She said confused.

"I know this is a huge decision for you and I know what you always do when you make big decisions..." He said pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil and placing it in front of her.

Rory looked down at the piece of paper and she couldn't believe her eyes. She glanced up at Sam with tears in her eyes. "A pro/con list..." She said softly.

"It's how you make all your big decisions. I know it makes you feel more sure about your decision." Sam said. "I know this is big but before you start writing, I just want to say that I know we've only been together five years but I feel like I've known you my whole life. You're it for me, Rory. You're all I want and I love you so much. I'll always be there for you whenever you need me and I promise I will never ever hurt you." He said sincerely. "So..uh..that's my pitch..." He said nervously, sitting back down. "Go ahead..." He said gesturing to the paper.

Rory glanced down at the paper and pencil before pushing it away from her and glancing back up at Sam. "I don't need it." She said.

"What?" He said surprised. "But you always do a pro/con list..."

"I don't need it for this." Rory said softly. "The mere fact that you even thought about this and was prepared to wait for me to write one tells me everything. I don't need a pro/con list for you, Sam." She said blinking back some tears. "Because...because you're it for me too. You're the one thing I am so sure about." She said tremulously.

"Really?" Sam said quietly.

"Ask me again." Rory said.

"Are you sure?" He said softly.

"Ask me." She nodded.

Sam slowly got up and got back down on one knee, holding out the ring. "Rory Gilmore, will you marry me?" He said.

Rory grinned and nodded, trying to keep her tears at bay. "Yes, yes I'll marry you!" She said.

Sam grinned and put the ring on her finger before pulling himself up and pulling her in for a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled. "Fiance." She grinned.

Sam laughed. "Sounds weird huh?"

Rory laughed. "A little. But it feels right."

Sam smiled. "Yeah it does." He said softly before kissing her again.

* * *

"Five, four, three, two, one!" Everyone counted down at midnight to bring in the New Year. Everyone cheered and the three Gilmore/Danes/Mariano couples all kissed lovingly, all excited about what the next year would bring.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think so thank you! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for your continued support! I'm so grateful and happy that you're all still with me and seem to be enjoying this sequel. :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 4

Charlotte and Jess were sat in the doctor's surgery waiting to get their first scan of the baby. Charlotte glanced across at Jess. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?" She smiled softly.

Jess smiled. "Yeah it does." He said softly.

"Except this time I'm actually still talking to my family." She joked.

"There was never any doubt that your mom would be happy for you this time." Jess said.

"Maybe. But I haven't told my Grandma yet." Charlotte pointed out. "And seeing as how they reacted to Rory's engagement, I'm not holding my breath for a positive reaction."

"I still can't believe they can't just be supportive of them. I mean, can't they see how happy she is with Sam?" Jess shook his head.

"Yeah but he's not wealthy. He's not from their world." Charlotte shook her head. "They think he's not good enough."

"That's stupid. Sam's a good guy and he loves Rory so much." Jess said.

"Well we know that but I think they still had it in their head that she might change her mind and go back to Tristan." Charlotte sighed.

Jess glanced at her. "You don't think she will, do you? I mean, you know how much Rory hates disappointing your grandparents..." He said cautiously.

"No." Charlotte assured him quickly. "Yes, Rory hates falling out with them but I'm pretty sure this is something she won't change just to please them. She loves Sam. Trust me, I know."

Jess nodded, relaxing slightly. "Ok. Good."

"I just thought we were past all this." She admitted, sighing. "I mean, they like you now."

"They tolerate me." Jess smirked.

"No that's not true." Charlotte protested.

"Believe me, they just put up with me because they know that I'm not planning on going anywhere." He said.

"Well...Grandpa likes you. Genuinely." Charlotte said conceding slightly.

"He might do. But your Grandma...well I still see the looks that she gives me." Jess said.

"And you wonder why I'm nervous about telling her about the baby." She sighed.

"That's different." Jess said. "She might not like me but she adores Jack now. She's actually really good with him."

"Yeah I guess..." Charlotte said just as a doctor came out.

"Charlotte Gilmore?" She said.

"That's me." Charlotte said getting up. "You coming in with me?" She asked Jess.

"Try and stop me." He said.

* * *

Jess glanced across at Charlotte as he drove them back to Stars Hollow. "Penny for your thoughts?" He said.

Charlotte glanced at him. "Well...I guess it does run in the family..." She said.

"True." He nodded.

"Why aren't you freaking out?" Charlotte said. "I mean, ever since she told us, that's all I can think about. How will we cope?"

"Oh I'm freaking out." Jess told her. "But there's not really much we can do about it now."

"Twins..." She breathed out. "We're having twins..."

"Yeah.." Jess said.

"I knew my sickness had been worse than it was when I was pregnant with Jack but I didn't really think much of it..." She admitted. "How will we cope with twins? We're going to have three kids!"

"We'll cope." Jess said.

"How?" She exclaimed.

"Because as soon as those babies come into the world, we'll love them unconditionally and then it won't seem as daunting. I know it's a shock. Trust me, I'm as freaked out as you are but we'll cope. I'll get another job so we have more money coming in. We'll be fine." He said.

"But you love what you're doing at the moment..." Charlotte said softly, glancing at him.

"I do but I don't know when Hep Alien will next go on tour and even then, with you pregnant, I doubt I'd want to leave you. And yeah I might be writing but that's not bringing in any money at the moment. I'll get a proper job. I want to." He said.

Charlotte smiled softly at him. "You always have a way to calm me down."

"I try." Jess said, as he drove up and parked by the diner. "Now let's go tell Jack." He smiled.

They headed into the diner and saw Jack sat at the counter. "Hey!" Charlotte smiled sitting next to him.

"Mommy!" Jack smiled happily.

"How'd it go?" Luke asked them as he walked over.

"Oh it went." Jess chuckled slightly.

Luke looked at them confused. "Everything's ok right?" He asked.

"Yeah everything's good. We just got a little surprise, that's all." Charlotte told him.

"What surprise?" Luke asked.

"Well...it seems we're going to be parents to two kids instead of one." Jess said.

"What?" Luke said stunned.

"Yeah...exactly our reaction." Charlotte laughed nervously.

"You're having twins?" Luke asked softly.

"Yeah. We're having twins." She said softly.

"Twins?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, isn't that cool?" Jess said.

Jack just shrugged. "Grandpa Luke, can I have some chips?" He asked.

"Uh sure." Luke said glancing at Charlotte and Jess.

"You're going to have two siblings. That'll be fun, won't it?" Jess tried again.

Jack shrugged again. "Can we go to the park?" He asked.

"Jack..." Charlotte tried.

"I want to play on the swings. Please? You promised we could when you got back." Jack said.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah, of course." She said exchanging a worried glance with Jess.

* * *

Back in New York, Sam arrived back at the apartment to find Rory already there. "Oh hey!" He said surprised. "Did you finish early today or something?" He asked.

"Something like that..." Rory said nervously.

"Everything ok?" Sam checked, noticing she wasn't exactly acting like herself.

"My boss..uh..he called me in this afternoon as he wanted to talk to me about something..." She said.

"Ok..." Sam said slowly. "He didn't fire you or something, did he?" He frowned.

"What? Oh no, not at all!" Rory said quickly. "He..uh..he was actually really impressed by my work lately." She said. "He..uh..he wanted to offer me something. A big project..."

"That's amazing!" Sam smiled. "What project?"

"He wants me to cover the war in Afghanistan." Rory said quietly, glancing down at the floor. "And how Obama is trying to get peace there..."

"That is big!" He said. "Aw Ror, I'm so proud of you!" He smiled giving her a hug.

"Thanks." She said quietly. "There's a catch though..."

"What?"

"He wants me to go there. To really get in the middle of it. He feels like it will make my writing better actually witnessing everything going on..." Rory said quietly, biting her lip nervously.

"What?" Sam said stunned.

"He wants me to go to Afghanistan. For three months. From next month." She said nervously, glancing at him to gauge his reaction. Sam was just standing there, staring at her though. "Say something. Please." She said quietly.

"Is he crazy?" Sam said.

"What?"

"You're not seriously considering this, are you?"

"Well..."

"Oh my god..." Sam said. "Rory, it's dangerous there! There's a war! You could get killed!"

"I'm not literally going to be in the middle of everything! I'm not going to fight or anything!" Rory said.

"Are you that naive?" He exclaimed.

"Sam!" She exclaimed, hurt.

"Rory, so many innocent people are getting killed out there! People who aren't fighting! But do you really think the Taliban care about that?" Sam said angrily.

"This has been my dream for so long!" Rory defended.

"What, getting killed?" He said sarcastically.

"No, reporting from abroad. From as far back as I remember, this was my dream! And now I've been offered a chance to do that! I thought you'd be supportive!" She exclaimed, frustrated.

"Supportive?" Sam said, shaking his head. "You know I'm supportive of your job. You're amazing at what you do but this...It's too dangerous! You can't go. I won't let you."

"You won't let me?" Rory frowned. "Who are you, my dad?"

"No, I'm your fiance! Or have you forgotten about that?" Sam snapped.

Rory's face softened slightly. "Of course I haven't." She said quietly. "But..."

"I need some air." Sam said grabbing his jacket.

"Sam, we need to talk about this!" Rory exclaimed.

"What's the point? It's obvious you've made up your mind anyway. You don't care what I think." Sam shook his head, as he headed towards the door.

"Sam, wait!" Rory begged.

"I'll see you later." Sam mumbled before leaving Rory stood there facing an empty room.

* * *

"You know, you didn't have to come right?" Charlotte said glancing across at Jess.

"I know. But I wanted to. I know how nervous you were about coming here." Jess said.

Charlotte sighed and looked ahead at the grand door of her grandparents' house. "I know I could have done this on Friday but I didn't want a big scene in front of everyone. Especially Jack."

"I get that." He nodded. He glanced at her. "You ready?" He asked.

Charlotte took a deep breath before nodding and ringing the doorbell. A maid opened the door and let them in. "Do you know where my grandparents are?" She asked.

"Mr and Mrs Gilmore are in the living room." The maid said politely.

"Thanks." Charlotte said. She glanced at Jess who gave her an encouraging smile before they headed towards the living room. "Hi Grandma, hi Grandpa!" She said.

"Charlotte!" Emily said surprised. "Were we expecting you?"

"No, it's a bit of a spontaneous visit." Charlotte said. "We're not interrupting anything, are we?"

"Not at all." Emily said glancing at them both intrigued.

"Would you two like a drink?" Richard offered.

"I'm fine thanks." Charlotte shook her head.

"Me too." Jess said.

"Well ok, sit down, sit down." Richard smiled at them. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" He asked.

Charlotte glanced at Jess as they sat down and took a deep breath. "Well...we have some news to share with you..." She said nervously.

"What sort of news?" Emily asked.

"Good news." Jess said.

"I'm sure I can be the judge of that." Emily told him.

"I can assure you it's good news." Jess said holding his own.

"I'm pregnant." Charlotte suddenly blurted out, not wanting to prolong the situation anymore.

"Excuse me?" Emily said surprised.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant." She repeated, quietly.

"Well isn't this great news?" Richard smiled happily. "Congratulations, both of you!"

"Thanks Grandpa." Charlotte smiled gratefully at him.

"We're very happy." Jess nodded.

"So are you going to quit your job?" Emily said stiffly.

"No, why would you think that?" Charlotte frowned.

"All mothers normally take a break from their work so I just assumed. And with your illustrating business, surely people will get bored of waiting for you and find another illustrator." She said.

"Charlotte's the best illustrator there is. I'm sure they'd be happy to wait and I'm sure they'd understand." Jess said.

"And what about you? How will you support them? Doing music isn't exactly a job." Emily said imperiously.

"I'm going to get another job. I'll ask Luke if there's a job going at the diner." Jess said. "Don't worry, I'm planning to support them."

"The diner.." Emily laughed slightly. "Not really a worthy job."

"Luke seems to like it. And if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me." Jess said gritting his teeth slightly.

"Well I guess I can't be surprised, considering the family you've come from." She said snobbily.

"Grandma, that's enough!" Charlotte said. "I'm pregnant and I thought you would be happy to find out you were getting two more great grandchildren. We wanted to share this news with you but I guess we were wrong to."

"Two?" Richard said surprised.

"Yeah. We're having twins." Charlotte said quietly.

"Twins? Oh, how wonderful!" Richard smiled.

"We think so." Jess said.

"And how does Jack feel about this news?" Emily said.

"He's...well he's..." Charlotte hesitated slightly. How could she admit that Jack wasn't exactly thrilled? He hadn't wanted to talk about the babies at all and when she offered to show him the scan picture, he refused to see it.

"He's very happy. And excited." Jess jumped in.

"What exactly is your problem?" Charlotte demanded. "You love Jack! Or is this just about who I'm having these kids with?"

"I don't see why you and your sister can't find respectable partners." Emily said.

"Because we're not from your world. We actually look for happiness, not money." Charlotte said. "We're leaving." She said getting up.

"Charlotte..." Richard said.

"I appreciate your support, Grandpa. I really do." She said softly. She glanced at Emily. "If you can finally accept Jess and accept the fact that I love him and nothing is going to break us up, you're welcome to be involved in the twins' lives as much as you want. I want you to be. But I'm sick of you always talking down to Jess. You think Jess isn't clever, but he's seen the subtle looks you give him and he hears the things you say under your breath. He's not stupid. And neither am I." She said. "I want you to be involved, Grandma, because like Jess pointed out to me before, you're great with Jack. So it's up to you." She said. "We'll see you Friday." She said before leaving with Jess.

* * *

Rory looked up from the couch later on in the evening when Sam finally arrived back. "Hey.." She said quietly.

"Hey." Sam said quietly.

"You've been gone hours..." She said.

"I needed to get my head round everything." He said

"Where did you go?" She asked quietly.

Sam glanced at her and sighed before going to sit down next to her. "I was with Chloe." He said.

"Oh ok." Rory said not being able to help the sigh of relief that he had spent the last few hours with his cousin and no one else.

"She told me I was being stupid as well." He admitted.

Rory sighed. "I never said you were being stupid." She said softly. "I understand your apprehension. I do. I'm really nervous about it as well. I know it's dangerous. I do know that."

Sam sighed. "The thought of you being in danger terrifies me, Ror." He admitted. "I love you so much and the fact that I won't be there to protect you from anything really terrifies me. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me." Rory assured him. "I'll get training before I go. I'll get told how to keep safe and I'll get protection."

"That doesn't make you immortal." Sam pointed out.

"I know." She said quietly.

Sam sighed. "I stand by what I said before. I can't lie and say I'm happy for you and I want you to go because I'm going to worry every minute of every day."

"Sam..."

"But..." He continued. "I don't want to be the controlling fiance either. As dangerous as this is, it's your decision. And I'll support you either way. But you can't stop me from worrying."

Rory blinked back tears. "So you're saying you'll let me go if I choose to do it?"

"Reluctantly, but yes." Sam said.

"Thank you." Rory said softly, pulling him into a hug.

"Just promise me one thing." Sam said.

"Anything." She nodded.

"If you find yourself in any danger, please don't stay around to try and get a story. Promise me you'll get out of there." He said.

"I promise." Rory said sincerely.

"Because I want to marry you but in order to do that, you need to get back here safe." Sam said.

"I love you so much." Rory said softly, leaning in to kiss him.

"I love you too." He said quietly, not wanting to show her exactly how terrified he actually was about this.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess were sat on the couch in their apartment, snuggled up, while Jack played in his room. "What if he never comes round?" She said.

"He will." Jess said.

"But what if he doesn't? He doesn't even want to talk about the babies. He doesn't want to see the scan. What if he resents them when they come?" She said worried. "What if he hates us for it?"

"Ok you need to calm down. This stress isn't helping the babies." Jess said softly. "It's probably just been a surprise to Jack like it was for us. But he'll come round and he'll soon realise how cool it will be being a big brother."

"You really think so?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"I know so." He assured her. "It's natural for an only child to get jealous when they find out they're no longer going to have their parents' undivided attention. I'm sure lots of families have gone through it."

"I guess you're right." She sighed.

"I was jealous of Doula, remember." Jess said.

"Oh I remember." Charlotte nodded.

Jess ducked his head slightly, ashamed, but he continued. "I was jealous that my mom was excited about having her and how she was determined to be the best mom to her. But I got over it and you know how much I love Doula now." He pointed out.

"Yeah I know." She smiled softly.

"Jack will come round, I promise." He assured her, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"Mommy?" A small voice said.

They turned to see Jack standing in the doorway. "Yeah darling?" Charlotte said softly.

"Do you still have the picture of the babies?" He asked quietly.

"You mean the scan?" Charlotte asked surprised. Jack nodded. "Yeah I still have it..."

"Would you like to have a look at it?" Jess said.

Jack bit his lip before slowly nodding. "Is that ok?"

Jess smiled. "Of course! Come on over." He said, raising his eyebrows at Charlotte.

Charlotte got up to get the scan before sitting back down on the couch, this time with Jack sat in between them. "Here. You can't see them very clearly but those two blobs there. Those are them."

"Pretty cool huh?" Jess said softly, ruffling his son's hair.

"Uh huh..." Jack said quietly. He focused on the scan picture until he quietly said, "I don't hate you."

"Oh Jack..." Charlotte said softly, blinking back some tears realising he had overheard their conversation.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"It's ok." She said softly, pulling him into a hug. "It's really ok." She said before sharing a relieved smile with Jess.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Thanks again for the continued support! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for your continued support! I'm glad you're enjoying it! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 5

Charlotte and Jess exchanged a look as they sat in the living room at the Gilmore Mansion. Rory had just told everyone about her plans to go and report from Afghanistan and the room had erupted into a shouting match. Charlotte glanced at Mia and Jack who were looking very confused and upset at the shouting.

"Jess..." She said quietly, gesturing towards Mia and Jack.

Jess nodded, understanding immediately, and got up. "Come on, you two. Let's see what toys we can find upstairs." He said softly, gently leading them out.

"How long have you known about this?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"About a week." Rory admitted.

"And you didn't say anything?" Lorelai said hurt.

"I wanted to tell you all together." She said quietly.

"I suppose you knew though." Emily demanded, looking at Sam.

"Yes I knew." Sam said.

"And you're just letting her go? What sort of fiance lets their soon to be wife go off to one of the world's most dangerous countries?" Emily demanded.

"Someone who is supportive of her work." Sam said, staying calm.

"And you're just willing to let her go and get killed?" Emily exclaimed.

"Grandma!" Rory intervened.

"She's right, though, Rory." Lorelai said. "I know it probably seems exciting but you don't understand how dangerous it will be. So many journalists abroad get killed every day."

"I don't understand?" Rory exclaimed. "I know what's at risk, I'm not stupid!"

"We weren't saying you were..." Lorelai said.

"No of course not, just misguided." Emily said sending another glare Sam's way.

"Why don't we just all calm down for a minute?" Charlotte suggested, trying to ease the tension.

"I'm sorry, hon, but I just can't allow this." Lorelai continued, ignoring Charlotte.

"You can't allow this? What am I, 5?" Rory exclaimed, getting frustrated.

"It's too dangerous!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"And I won't be going unprepared! I'm not a kid anymore, mom! You can't control every decision I make anymore." Rory said.

"What's that meant to mean?" Lorelai frowned.

"It means that I can do my own thing now. I don't need my mommy's permission. I'm 27!" She snapped.

"Rory..." Charlotte said.

"What? It's true! She's been controlling us for all our life! Like forcing you to go to college and then refusing to talk to you when you want to lead your own path." Rory said.

"Leave me out of this." Charlotte said. "Look, I think we're all just worried. You can understand that, can't you?"

"If only you were still with Tristan..." Emily muttered.

"What?" Rory said shocked.

"Emily..." Richard warned.

"What? Tristan wouldn't want Rory basically flying off to her death!" Emily exclaimed. "He loved her too much!"

"You seriously think I don't love Rory?" Sam demanded.

"Well you obviously don't if you're happy about this..."

"You think I'm happy about her going to Afghanistan?" Sam exclaimed, finally losing his patience. "Every minute she's there, I'm going to be terrified thinking that every phone call I get will be to tell me she's been killed. I hate the fact that I won't be there to protect her!" He said getting up.

"Then why are you supporting it?" Lorelai asked.

"Because like Rory said, she's not a kid!" Sam exclaimed. "Just because I'm supporting her decision, doesn't mean I'm happy about it."

"Then forbid her!" Emily exclaimed.

"You really don't know me at all, do you?" Sam shook his head. "You haven't even tried to get to know me. I'm not about to be that controlling partner who tells their fiancee what she can or can't do. Rory's her own person. She knows the risks. All I can tell her is to be careful."

"Then you're not who I want with my granddaughter." Emily glared at him.

"This is useless." Sam said.

"Sam..." Rory said softly.

"No, forget it. I need some air." He said before leaving the room and the house.

"Thanks a lot!" Rory glared at her grandma and mom. "Do you know how much Sam has struggled since I told him the plans? He's tried not to show me because he wants to be supportive but I know he doesn't want me to go. And now you both have to attack him!"

"I didn't attack him." Lorelai frowned.

"Whatever, my mind is made. I'm going and there's nothing you can do about it." Rory said getting up. "Can we stay at your place tonight?" She asked Charlotte.

"Uh..yeah..." Charlotte said.

"We'll meet you there. We're not staying for dinner." Rory said.

"Rory!" Lorelai called after her but Rory ignored her and left to find Sam.

"Well played mom." Charlotte sighed.

"What did I do?" Lorelai exclaimed.

Charlotte just shook her head. "I'm going to find Jess and Jack and go." She said getting up.

"We haven't had dinner yet." Richard said.

"I don't think it would be a good idea." Charlotte sighed. "Sorry Grandpa. I'll see you next week." She said before leaving the room. "Oh and don't forget Mia." She told her mom. "Remember, short girl with long brown hair, the girl who Jess had to take out because she was upset about all the shouting." She said before leaving.

Lorelai exhaled and put her head in her hands. "I guess we'll be going too." She said after a moment.

"You need to make her see sense." Emily said. "About the job and that man."

"The job, I agree." Lorelai said. "But Sam, no. He makes her really happy and he loves her. You had no right to attack him like that."

"What do you think about the whole plan?" Emily demanded ignoring Lorelai and looking at Luke.

"Oh..well..." Luke said taken aback by being asked. "Obviously it's dangerous but Rory has her own mind..."

"Wait, what?" Lorelai said looking at him shocked.

* * *

Charlotte walked out to the living room of her apartment to find Sam sat at the kitchen table. Jess was putting Jack down for the night and Rory was in the bathroom. "Hey.." She said.

"Hey.." He sighed. "Do you think I should be stopping her going?"

"No." Charlotte sighed going to get a glass of water. "You and I both know when Rory had her mind set on something, nothing's going to stop her." She said.

"I am scared." Sam admitted.

"Well she definitely took me by surprise when she told us all about it." Charlotte admitted.

"I'm sorry I lost it with your grandmother." He said embarrassed.

"Forget it. She deserved it. She had no right attacking you like she did." She said. "And mom was just worried about Rory. You know she loves you."

"Yeah I know." He sighed.

"Hey..." A voice said from the doorway.

Charlotte looked up to see Rory stood there. "Hey." She said giving her a small smile.

"Hey Sam, fancy a walk? We could grab a drink or something." Jess suggested coming in. He knew Charlotte probably wanted some time with Rory.

"Sure, why not." Sam said getting up.

"Wait!" Rory said rushing up to him. She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you." She said.

Sam gave her a small smile. "I love you too." He said softly.

Jess and Sam then left, leaving the sisters alone in the apartment.

"Are you mad at me too?" Rory asked nervously.

"Mad? No." Charlotte said. "Confused? A bit. Worried? A lot." She admitted, going to sit down on the couch.

Rory sighed and went to sit next to her. "I didn't make the decision lightly." She said.

"I know you wouldn't have." Charlotte assured her. "Doesn't stop us worrying though."

"I know." She sighed.

"And that was what mom was. And probably a bit shocked that you told her at the same time as Grandma and Grandpa. You always talk to her first." Charlotte pointed out.

"I know...I just...It was hard enough telling Sam. I couldn't tell you all separately, I just couldn't. I guess I was just a bit of a chicken." She admitted ashamed.

"Hey, anyone going to Afghanistan is not a chicken." She said.

"I know people think I'm naive but I know the risks. I really do. I'm going to get training about what to expect and how to deal with certain stuff." Rory told her. "I know this seems sudden and insane but this sort of reporting has been my dream since I was..."

"Since you were 5, yeah I know." Charlotte said softly. "You forget I'm your sister and have listened to you go on about how much you want to be like Christiane Amanpour. I just...promise me you'll stay safe. I want my twins to be able to meet their aunt."

"I promise." Rory said sincerely. "I want to meet them too."

* * *

Luke glanced back at Mia who had fallen asleep in the car. He then glanced across at Lorelai who was staring outside the window. "I have to stop by the diner to finish closing up." He said.

"Fine." Lorelai said.

Luke sighed. "Lorelai...please talk to me. You've not said a word since we left."

"What can I say? You want Rory to go to her death." Lorelai said stiffly.

"That's crazy and you know it!" Luke frowned as he parked by the diner.

"Oh so now I'm crazy?" She demanded.

"Lorelai...I don't want to argue." He said exasperated, getting out of the car. He was surprised when Lorelai got out too and started following him into the diner.

"Uh...Lorelai? What about Mia?" Luke said gesturing to their sleeping daughter.

"She's fine. We can see her from in here. Plus I don't want to hear us fighting." Lorelai said crossing her arms against her chest.

"And I repeat, I don't want to fight." Luke said, entering the diner.

"Then agree with me that we have to do something to stop her! Help me come up with a plan to stop her going! We could kidnap her and keep her locked in her room at ours." Lorelai said. "Or we could call her boss and tell her she's changed her mind and won't be going."

"Lorelai..." Luke said tiredly.

"Why are you so reluctant to stop her going? It's Afghanistan! Don't you care that she could be killed or do you just care about April and Mia, you know, the kids who are actually yours?" She snapped.

"That's not fair." Luke frowned. "You know I love Rory and Charlotte like they're my own! Seriously, Lorelai, listen to yourself, will you?"

"Then why are you refusing to do anything? Why are you siding with her?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Because she's not a kid anymore!" Luke exclaimed, getting annoyed, feeling his breathing speed up. "If this was 10 years ago, yes I'd probably agree with you but she's 27. She has the right to make her own decisions. Hell, she's getting married! She's grown up and I'm sure she's thought this through. Come on, Lorelai, this is the kid who makes a pro/con list for every decision she makes."

"I know. She is my daughter." Lorelai said stiffly.

"Then you won't want to fall out with her." Luke said. "Or do you want that? Because whatever you do, she's made up her mind obviously and would you rather she go out there when you two aren't talking to each other?"

"She won't be going out there at all because I will stop her." Lorelai said stubbornly.

"Now you're just being delusional and silly." Luke shook her head.

"Gee thanks! It's great to hear what my husband really thinks of me." She snapped bitterly.

"I get that you're worried." Luke sighed, trying to reason with her. "I am too. But you can't control her forever. You've got to let her live her life."

"Oh because you're such an expert at parenting! Anna thought you'd be such a bad dad that you didn't find out about April until she was 12. You don't know what it's like to guide a kid through life from the beginning." She snapped spitefully.

"And Mia is just an imaginary daughter is she?" Luke snapped, feeling himself getting worked up again.

Lorelai snorted. "You barely parent her! You're working the whole time at this stupid place! Sometimes I think you love this place more than us! You clearly love it more than Rory!"

"Get out." Luke gritted his teeth.

"You're the one being stupid! This is Rory's life we're talking about! How can you be so selfish?" She exclaimed angrily.

"What, like you are when you don't get people to see your point of view? Max might have been a walkover but I'm not." Luke said angrily.

"Drop dead!" Lorelai shouted.

"Charming." Luke said dryly.

Lorelai let out an exasperated groan before storming out of the diner. Luke watched as she got into the jeep and drove off with Mia. He shook his head and tried to regulate his breathing. He went to put some chairs on the tables and then went to do the stools by the counter but he was still struggling to slow down his breathing. He started to panic as he felt himself starting to gasp for breath and suddenly he felt a pain in his chest. He clutched his chest and leant against the counter, trying to steady himself but he was still struggling to catch his breath. He felt another shooting pain in his chest and he worriedly reached for his cell in his pocket. He shakily dialled 1 to speed dial Lorelai but as he was about to press the call button, a third shot of pain hit him and he dropped his phone and collapsed down next to it.

 **I know it's mean to leave it like that but I need to have you all wanting more! ;) Hope you enjoyed it! :) Thanks again for your support so far, it really does mean so much! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay! Work's been busy and I've been getting home late! Thank you for your continued support, it means a lot to me! :) Now I'm not a medical expert but I've tried to do some research so please be kind! :P Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 6

Lorelai returned back to the Crap Shack and put Mia to bed before collapsing down on the couch in the living room, letting out a big breath. She couldn't understand why Luke couldn't see her side and it frustrated her. They were married. She thought married couples were supposed to support each other. She let out another breath and turned on the tv.

Meanwhile, Taylor was walking past the diner after locking up Doose's when he noticed the lights still on inside. He was confused as to why they were as he knew that Luke always closed up long before he did. He hesitantly went up the stairs to the door and looked inside. It was then that he saw Luke on the floor. His eyes widened and he rushed inside without hesitation. "Luke?" He exclaimed kneeling down next to him. "Luke, can you hear me?"

"Can't….breathe…." Luke gasped.

"Oh my god…" Taylor said remembering back to when he found William in the exact same spot but when the diner was the hardware shop. He was determined there was going to be another outcome this time though. He pulled out his cell quickly and dialled 911. "Yes ambulance please! Quickly! My friend…I think he might be having a heart attack….Yeah…Luke's diner in Stars Hollow….Ok, thank you." He said. "The ambulance is on its way. Don't worry, Luke, everything's going be ok." He tried to reassure him. "Where's Lorelai?" He asked.

"Home…" Luke managed to get out. "Please….stay…" He then said weakly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Taylor assured him. "I'll ring Lorelai ok? I'll let her know what's happening. Just try and keep calm." He said. He slowly got up and went over to the door to ring Lorelai, and also looking out for the ambulance. "Lorelai? It's Taylor." He said when she answered.

"Taylor?" Lorelai said confused.

"Yeah, look, it's about Luke." He told her.

"I don't really want to talk about Luke right now." She said, her tone changing completely. "I have to go."

"No, wait! I think he's having a heart attack!" Taylor said quickly.

"What?" Lorelai said shocked.

"I've just found him on the floor at the diner. He's having real trouble breathing. I've called an ambulance and it's on its way but I really think you should come." He said. "Luke needs you."

"Of course!" Lorelai said worried, their argument completely forgotten.

"Oh wait, the ambulance is here. He'll probably be taken to Hartford Memorial." Taylor said. "Can you meet us there?"

"Yeah I'll be there."

"Ok good."

"Taylor?" Lorelai said quietly.

"Yes?"

"Can you go with him? Luke hates hospitals." She said quietly.

"Of course." He said softly. "I'll see you there."

"Thanks Taylor." She said, hanging up. She stood there for a moment and realised she was shaking and she felt tears in her eyes. She quickly dialled a number. "Sook?" She said tremulously. "I need a favour…"

* * *

"Taylor!" Lorelai exclaimed rushing into the hospital and finding Taylor in the cardiology department. "Where is he?"

"They've taken him away for tests." Taylor explained. "They wanted to determine if he was in fact experiencing a heart attack."

"But he was conscious right?"

"He was but he was having trouble breathing and was in a lot of pain." He said.

"Oh god…." Lorelai said quietly, fighting back some tears.

"He's in the best place, Lorelai. The doctors here know what they're doing. Luke's tough. I'm sure he will be fine." Taylor said kindly.

"But his dad had a heart attack, didn't he? And he…he died…" Lorelai said tremulously.

"His father was also a lot older and had been experiencing a lot of health problems. Luke's healthy. He'll get through this." Taylor tried to reassure him.

"Thank god you found him when you did…" She said quietly. "I don't know…I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't…"

"They said they will let you know when there is any news." Taylor told her. "Would you like me to stay?" He asked kindly.

"Oh..uh..no it's ok." Lorelai said. "I rang the girls and they're on their way so should get here soon."

"Ok then. I'll get going then." He said going to walk off. He then hesitated and turned back. "Will you let me know when you know anything?"

"Yeah I will." She nodded.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"Taylor?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." She said softly.

Taylor gave her a small smile and a nod before leaving.

* * *

"Mom!"

Lorelai was brought out of her daze when she heard the familiar voices and looked up to see Rory, Charlotte, Jess and Sam rushing towards her.

"What's happening? How is he?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't know…" Lorelai said. "They still haven't let me know anything. Taylor brought him in twenty minutes ago but no one hasn't told me anything."

"Taylor?" Rory said confused.

"Yeah.." She said quietly.

"Why was Taylor with him?" Charlotte asked.

"Was it a heart attack?" Jess asked at the same time.

Lorelai glanced at Jess and saw his worried expression. "I don't know." She said quietly. She then glanced at her daughters. "I..uh..I wasn't with him when…when it happened. We…we had a fight.." She admitted guiltily.

"But he will be ok, won't he? Where is he now? What is he doing?" Jess asked.

"I…" Lorelai said not knowing what to say. The honest truth was that she didn't know and the reason she didn't know was because she wasn't with him because she had that stupid argument with her. She could see how petty it was now and she felt so guilty about the things she had said to him.

"Hey, why don't we go get some drinks?" Sam suggested to Jess, seeing Lorelai was struggling.

"But…" Jess said.

"It might be a while until we do know something. Come on." He said gently leading him away.

Lorelai watched them go and then put her head in her hands.

"Mom, you weren't to know this was going to happen." Charlotte said softly, sitting down next to her.

"Charlotte's right. There's no point feeling guilty…" Rory said, sitting down on her other side.

Lorelai looked at them with tears in her eyes. "The last thing I said to him was to drop dead…" She said tearfully. "What if…what if that's the last thing he heard from me?"

"Don't think like that." Charlotte said. "Luke will be fine. Look at Grandpa. He's had so many scares but he's still here."

"What were you fighting about anyway? I thought you were good…" Rory said.

"I…" Lorelai started glancing at Rory but stopped when she realised how her daughter would feel if she admitted the truth.

"Oh god…It was me, wasn't it? You were fighting about me…" Rory said quietly.

"It was stupid. It was a petty argument." Lorelai said.

"But you were still fighting about me…" Rory said quietly.

"Ok, who cares about whether you were fighting with Luke or what the fight was even about! What matters is focusing on Luke now. He's going to be fine, ok? And he'll be home before we know it." Charlotte said. "Don't focus on anything else because it's going to drive you both crazy."

"I just…I want him to be ok." Lorelai said tremulously. "He's Luke. Our Luke. My Luke. He's…he's everything to me."

"I know." Charlotte said quietly. "But he will be ok. I promise you." She said trying to reassure herself as well as her mom.

"Where's Mia?" Rory asked quietly.

"Sookie's with her." Lorelai said. "Mia was asleep. I didn't want to wake her…" She glanced around. "Where's Jack?" She asked Charlotte.

"Our neighbour's watching him. We've known her for years and she's lovely and Jack loves her." Charlotte said.

"Ok. Good." She sighed.

"He will be ok, mom." She said softly.

"He has to be." Lorelai said quietly.

"He will be." Rory said.

* * *

Rory was walking down the corridor a while later and bumped into Sam. "Hey…" She said.

"Oh hey. Any news?" He asked.

"Not yet." She shook her head. "Mom's going crazy…" She said quietly.

"I can imagine." Sam sighed.

"It's been an hour since he came in. That can't be good news, can it?" She said nervously.

"It depends on what tests they have to do. It can take a while." Sam said.

"I just wish someone would tell us something. Anything." Rory said.

"How are you doing?" He asked sympathetically.

"What?" She said surprised.

"You and Charlotte have known Luke most of your life. This must have shaken you as well. I know it's shaken Jess."

"Where is Jess?" Rory asked looking round.

"Toilet and then he was heading back to Charlotte and Lorelai." Sam said. "So?" He said softly.

Rory blinked back tears. "Mom and Luke were arguing about me beforehand…"

"Oh Ror…" Sam said pulling her into a hug.

"They were arguing about me and then the next minute, Luke's here. It's all my fault." She said her voice cracking.

"No, it's not." He said firmly. "Rory, no one could have seen this coming. It's noone's fault." He said softly, sitting her down and then he sat down himself.

"I'm not going…" She said quietly.

"Not going where?" He asked confused.

"Afghanistan. I'm not going…" She said.

"Rory…" Sam said surprised.

"This was a sign. I can't go. Not after this…" Rory sniffed.

"But…this was your dream job…" Sam said softly.

"Yeah, my dream job that has everyone worried and upset." Rory said. "It might be my dream job but I won't let it cost me my family. And you. I can't lose you." She said tremulously, glancing at him.

"You would never lose me." He assured her.

"But this job terrifies you. I know it does. You've tried to hide it from me but I know how you feel about it. I don't want you to feel like that. I don't want my family worrying so much that it causes fights and then…well this. It's not worth it." Rory said quietly. "I'm not going. I can't."

"Well…if that's really what you want…" Sam said cautiously.

"It is. I'm not going." She said more confidently now.

"Ok." Sam said softly.

"Ok." Rory said.

"Come here." Sam said pulling her into another hug. "He'll be ok." He said softly.

* * *

"You ok?" Charlotte asked Jess softly after he had rejoined them. She sighed. "Sorry, silly question."

Jess glanced over at Lorelai and then back at Charlotte. "I'm ok." He said quietly.

"You don't have to pretend with me, you know." She told him. "I know what means to you."

"I know what he means to you too." Jess pointed out.

Charlotte sighed. She glanced at him. "I keep telling mom he's going to be ok…" She said quietly.

Jess sighed and pulled her towards him leading to Charlotte leaning her head on his shoulder. "He has to be. Who else is going to pull my ass into gear when I mess up again?" He said.

Charlotte smiled slightly at that. "No one comes to mind." She said softly.

Just then, a doctor came up to them just as Sam and Rory returned as well. "Are you Luke Danes' family?" He asked.

"I'm his wife." Lorelai said quickly getting up. "Is he ok?"

"Your husband didn't have a heart attack. He did, however, suffer from angina." The doctor told her. "We've managed to regulate his breathing and we've prescribed some medication that will relax and widen his blood vessels which means more blood will be able to flow to his heart which reduces his heart workload. We'd like to keep him overnight to observe him though."

"But he's ok? He's going to be ok?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes he should make a full recovery." The doctor assured her.

"Thank you so much." Lorelai let out a relieved breath.

"However, he will have to keep taking this medication we prescribe him to stop this happening again or anything else happening. And he needs to make sure he maintains a healthy lifestyle as well."

"I don't get it. Luke's the healthiest person I know. He's really careful about what he eats." Jess said.

"He's right. He always nags me about my diet." Lorelai said.

"Healthy people can still suffer from angina. Luke did mention his father suffered from heart problems and died from a heart attack." The doctor said. "Someone with a family history of heart problems does have a higher risk of experiencing it themselves." He explained.

"So this could happen to Jess?" Charlotte asked suddenly worrying.

"Sorry?" The doctor said confused.

"I'm his nephew." Jess said.

"Well…there is a higher risk but all I can recommend at this stage is to make sure you have a healthy diet and you're exercising as well." The doctor said. "But if you do ever experience any pain, come in and we can help you."

"So he could suffer from it?" Charlotte asked, biting her lip.

"He said could. Not definitely." Jess said softly, squeezing her hand. "Stop worrying. Let's focus on Luke, yeah? Don't focus on the what ifs."

Charlotte sighed. "You're right. Can we see Luke?" She asked the doctor.

"Of course. He's in room 108. He's very tired though so I'd recommend maybe only his wife going in at this point." The doctor said smiling kindly at Lorelai.

"Thank you." Lorelai said quietly. "Thank you for everything." She turned to everyone. "Is it ok if I go? I mean…"

"Mom, go." Charlotte said softly.

"But…"

"You should go see him. He will want you." Rory assured her.

"Ok." Lorelai said quietly. She glanced at Jess. "Want me to give him a message?"

"Just…just tell him we're thinking of him. And not to worry about the diner." Jess said.

"I will." She nodded.

"And…tell him we love him." Jess said gruffly. "And we're glad he's ok."

"I will." She smiled softly.

"We'll head back to Stars Hollow and let Sookie know what's happening." Charlotte said. "Meet you back there?"

"Ok." Lorelai said. She watched them all leave before slowly walking off in search for Luke's room. She found it and stood outside it for a moment before taking a deep breath and going inside. "Hey…" She said softly as she saw Luke lying in a hospital bed looking very pale and tired.

"Hey…" He said quietly.

 **So I hope you like it! :) Let me know what you think as I love reading your reviews! Thanks! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 7

"I'm so glad you're ok..." Lorelai said walking towards Luke.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"What are you doing here?" He repeated gruffly.

"Luke..." Lorelai said softly, reaching for his hand but was surprised when he pulled it away.

"You certainly didn't think much of me before this happened so why would you care now?" Luke said.

"I was angry..." She said quietly.

"Yeah and you always take it out on me when I'm not the one who's done anything wrong." He said.

"I'm sorry..." Lorelai said, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Yeah and then you apologise and assume everything will be ok." He said gruffly.

"Luke please..." She said tremulously.

"I'm sick of it, Lorelai." He said tiredly. "Normally I put up with it and forgive you but...you called me a bad parent..."

"I didn't mean it." Lorelai said quietly. "You know I didn't!"

"Maybe so but you still said it." He said. "You know how insecure I've been about my parenting in the past and it hurt that the one person I thought who believed in my capabilities as a father told me I was bad."

"Luke..." She pleaded, blinking back some tears.

"I'm tired.." He sighed. "The doctor said I needed rest so..."

"You want me to leave?" Lorelai asked shocked.

"I'm tired. And I don't need any stress at the moment..." He said.

"Ok..." Lorelai said quietly. "If that's what you want..."

"It's what I want." He said quietly.

"I'll get going then." She said blinking back more tears. "The..uh..the girls send their love and so does Jess. I'm sure they'll come and visit tomorrow." She said quietly.

"Ok." Luke said.

"I guess...uh...I'll see you tomorrow as well?" She said glancing at him.

"Sure." He sighed.

"Ok..uh..bye then, I guess..." She said quietly.

"Bye." He said quietly.

Lorelai blinked back tears as she left the room. She knew she had messed up but she didn't know how she was going to fix it. Of course she didn't think he was a bad father. He was the opposite. She knew how devoted he was to April and Mia and to Charlotte and Rory. She was tempted to go back into the room to make things right but she knew Luke was right about him needing rest and no extra stress so she reluctantly walked away and left the hospital.

Meanwhile, Luke was lying in his hospital bed staring up at the ceiling. The last few hours had been a whirlwind for him and it passed like a blur. He could remember the fight with Lorelai clearly and the hurt he felt when she called him up about his parenting. And then the next thing he remembered was, weirdly, Taylor's voice telling him he would be ok and then him ending up here. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Lorelai, please..." He sighed, thinking she had come back. He just wasn't in the mood to talk to her.

The door opened, though, and he was surprised to see April peek her head round. "Hi dad..." She said.

"April!" He said surprised. "How did you know...?"

"Charlotte called me when they were on the way to the hospital. She told me what happened..." She said quietly, coming into the room, surprisingly followed by a boy who Luke didn't recognise.

"Yeah..uh.." He said trying to focus on his daughter and not on the strange boy with his daughter. "I'm ok." He assured her. "It was just angina."

"Just angina? Dad, that's big!" April said her eyes widening. "It could...it could lead to other heart problems like...like a heart attack." She exclaimed worried.

"April..." The boy said softly and it didn't go unnoticed by Luke when he subtly put his hand on her back.

"Sorry..." April said quietly. "I just...when I got the call from Charlotte saying you'd been rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack, I was so scared..."

"Hey come here..." Luke said softly, holding his arms out.

"It won't hurt you to hug you?" She asked.

"I think it will be worth it." He smiled softly.

April smiled and gave her dad a gentle hug. "You're really ok?" She asked.

"The doctor has prescribed me medication to help and he's assured me I can control it. I just need to keep a healthy lifestyle." He said.

"Have they met you? You're like the healthiest person I know." April said smirking slightly.

Luke chuckled slightly. "Well...I could probably do some more exercise to be fair." He said.

"I'm just glad you're ok. You don't want to know what was going through my head on the way here. I'm sure I drove Jamie mad." April admitted.

"Jamie?" Luke said, hoping to be introduced to the boy.

"Oh...yeah. Dad, this is Jamie. He's..uh..a friend from MIT. We were hanging out when I got the call from Charlotte. He offered to drive me." She said.

"Hanging out?" He questioned.

"Uh...yeah..." April said nervously.

Luke glanced between them but then sighed. "It's nice to meet you, Jamie." He said.

"Yeah, you too." Jamie said. "I'm going to get us something to drink. Leave you two to talk a bit." He then told April, sensing they might want some time together alone.

"Thanks." April smiled gratefully at him.

"I'll see you in a bit." He said, squeezing her arm before leaving.

"So Jamie huh?" Luke said after Jamie left the room.

"He's just a friend..." April said nervously.

"Just a friend huh? Just a friend who drives you all the way from MIT to see me in hospital? Just a friend who you happen to be hanging out with at the time? Just a friend who is definitely acting like he's more of just a friend to you?" Luke said.

April sighed. "We've been going out for a couple of months." She admitted.

"Uh huh." Luke said.

"And he didn't drive me all the way from MIT. Our classes were cancelled today and tomorrow so I decided to take him to mom's for a long weekend." She admitted.

"Your mom knows about him?" Luke asked.

"Yeah..." April said quietly.

"And you didn't tell me because...?" He said, slightly hurt.

"I'm sorry." April said sincerely. "But I wasn't sure how to. I know you haven't exactly been supportive of Rory and Charlotte's boyfriends..." She said hesitantly.

"I'm supportive of them!" He said defensively.

"Now, yeah! But in the past. I heard about you fighting Dean. And you took a while to warm up to Tristan." She said. She sighed. "I didn't mean to hide it from you, dad. I wanted to tell you. I just...I really like Jamie and I don't want anything to mess it up..."

"You mean you don't want me to mess it up for you." Luke sighed.

"I didn't mean that." April said quickly. "Dad..."

"It's fine." He sighed. "I haven't exactly been there for all your life. The first 12 years, I was absent so I don't exactly have the right to dictate your life now." He said.

"What?" April said confused. "Dad, that wasn't your fault...You know I don't blame you for that."

"I know that. I just...I shouldn't be surprised that you don't tell me everything. I know I'm not the greatest dad and I know I should probably call you more and make more time to visit you..."

"Dad, stop!" April exclaimed. "Where is this all coming from?" She said confused.

"Nowhere. I've just been thinking about something Lorelai said..." He said.

"Lorelai told you that you're a bad dad to me?" April said surprised.

"No..well...We were fighting." He sighed. "I know she didn't really mean it but..."

"Dad, you've been an amazing dad to me." April said softly.

"Stop it..." He said waving her off.

"I'm being honest! You found out about me when I was 12 and instead of trying to avoid your responsibility, you made the effort to get to know me. I know you were nervous because it was all new to you but you still did it even though you were obviously out of your comfort zone. And since then, you've been there for me. You do ring me a lot and I know you haven't visited me a lot at MIT but I've just started and I know you've got a lot going on here. I get that. But just because you don't visit as much as you want, that doesn't mean you're a bad dad. I love you and I know you're always going to be there for me whenever I need you." She said softly.

"I will be." Luke nodded.

"You're a great dad. I class myself lucky to have you as my dad." April said sincerely. "I'm sorry I hid Jamie from you but I just...I was nervous to tell you about him. I mean, you have to admit you will be overprotective to Mia when she eventually finds a guy she likes."

"Mia's not dating until she's 30." Luke said, smirking slightly.

April smirked. "And there's my point."

Luke sighed. "Yeah maybe you're right. I'm sorry I made you think you couldn't talk to me about Jamie. I can't help being overprotective of you all but it's only because I love you."

"I know." She assured him. "I do want you to get to know Jamie though."

"You do?" He said.

"Of course! I want you to like him. I respect your opinion, dad. I just...I really like Jamie. And I think you'd like him too, if you gave him a chance." She said earnestly.

Luke smiled slightly at that. "Well...how about when you come to visit next weekend, you bring Jamie along if he's free? It will give me time to get to know him."

"Really?" April said excitedly.

"Sure. I'd like to get to know the guy who obviously makes my daughter happy." He said.

April smiled. "Thanks dad." She said softly. "And I am sorry I didn't tell you." She said sincerely.

"Forget it." He smiled softly.

"And don't even dare to doubt your abilities as a dad again. Or else you'll have me to answer to." April warned.

"Duly noted." Luke said smirking slightly. He then smiled softly at her. "Thanks for coming, kid."

"I love you, dad." She said softly, giving him another hug.

"I love you too." He smiled.

"And whatever it is that has gone on between you and Lorelai, I hope you make up. You two belong together." She said.

"You think so?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, she makes you happy. Or she did..." April said cautiously. "Maybe she said some hurtful things, I don't know what went down between you but can you really imagine a life without her?" She said.

Luke sighed. "No." He admitted.

"I'm not saying you have forgive her straight away but life's too short, dad. Today proved that." She said quietly, glancing at him.

Luke sighed. "Yeah..."

Just then Jamie reentered. "Hey, they didn't have much of a choice so I just got us coffee..." He said handing a cup to April. He glanced at Luke. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if you were allowed anything."

"It's ok. I'm not thirsty anyway." Luke said. He glanced at April. "You drink coffee now?"

"Yeah well...maybe Lorelai has more influence on me than I thought." She shrugged, smirking slightly.

"Hmm.." Luke said but couldn't help but smirk. He always did like how close April and Lorelai were.

"We should get going, it's getting late." Jamie told April. "And we have to get back to your mom's."

"How you stay at the diner apartment tonight?" Luke suggested. "It's closer and...well, it would mean I would get to see you tomorrow." He said.

"Really?" April said. "You'd let, well, both of us stay there?" She asked surprised.

Luke glanced at Jamie and then back at his daughter. "Well, if you promise there will be no funny business..." He said.

"Dad!" April exclaimed, blushing embarrassingly.

"What? There must be some perks of being an overprotective dad, right?" Luke said smirking slightly.

"Great." April said dryly.

Jamie laughed. "I can assure you nothing like that will happen." He said.

Luke glanced at Jamie and then nodded. "Well, then you're both welcome to stay there if you want."

"Thanks." April smiled.

"Yeah cheers." Jamie nodded.

"I should probably get some rest now." Luke admitted. "But thanks for coming."

"We'll come and visit tomorrow." April promised. "I love you dad." She said giving him a final hug.

"I love you too. See you tomorrow kid. And it was nice to meet you." Luke told Jamie.

"You too." He nodded.

* * *

The following morning, Lorelai watched as she stood by the door while Luke was talking with Charlotte, Rory, Sam and Jess. Mia and Jack were sat on the bed next to him as well. April and Jamie had just arrived as well. She watched as Luke conversed with her daughters, joking with them, and then making Mia laugh as well. She watched as April smiled happily at him, whilst holding Jamie's hand. She and Luke hadn't really talked yet apart from saying hello but she was hoping they would be able to. Rory had told them about her decision not to go to Afghanistan as well and it just made her feel worse about her fight with Luke.

After a while, everyone said their goodbyes letting Luke know they would check in on him once he was discharged that day. Jess also assured him that he was looking after the diner in his absence which Lorelai could see had touched Luke. Soon it was just her and him left in the room. "I can leave as well if you want..." She said nervously.

Luke glanced at her and sighed before shaking his head. "You don't have to." He said.

"So it was nice April came. I'm sorry I didn't even think of calling her." She said quietly.

"Well your daughters obviously think I'm a better dad to her than you do." Luke said. He saw Lorelai's hurt expression. "I'm sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't start it all up again." He sighed.

"No, it's ok. I deserve it." Lorelai sighed. She went to sit down next to him. "You were right. Everything you said to me, you were right. I did treat Max badly..."

"Lorelai..." Luke sighed.

"No, it's ok. You were right! My heart was never in it with him but I kept leading him on and then I hurt him in the most horrible way ever. I never should have agreed to marry him. It was wrong." She sighed. She glanced up at him. "And you were right that I always take things out on you and it's unfair on you. And the things I said to you yesterday..."

"Lorelai..."

"Luke, you are the best dad to my kids that I could ever ask for. April and Mia adore you and so do Charlotte and Rory. You were there for Charlotte and Rory when they were younger when you had no obligation to be but you were and it meant the world to me. You stepped up when you found out about April and you're amazing with Mia." She said. "I am so so sorry that I made you doubt that. I was angry and I know that's not an excuse but you know I say things I regret when I'm angry." She said. She sighed. "I know that doesn't make it right but I am really sorry." She said sincerely.

Luke sighed. "Well, to be fair, you were right about something. I know I've been working a lot lately and then by the time I get home, Mia's in bed."

"That's not your fault though. With Caesar being off ill, you have to do the cooking as well. I know you've been under a lot of stress with that and I shouldn't have thrown that in your face. I know you'd rather be home with Mia and she knows that too." Lorelai said.

"Well things will change." Luke said.

"Luke, I didn't mean for you to make you feel like this...I know how much the diner means to you and how much you enjoy running it." Lorelai said.

"I know and I do enjoy it but I do realise that I don't have to do everything all the time." Luke shrugged. "I want to spend more time with you and Mia and with Jess wanting to work at the diner while Charlotte's pregnant, I was thinking maybe I could give him a bit more than just some shifts." He said.

"Like what?" Lorelai asked interested.

"Well I was thinking about maybe making him assistant manager or something. So he runs the diner while I'm not there. He knows it inside out anyway and he would probably not turn down a bit extra pay." Luke said.

"No, I'm sure he wouldn't. But you're really sure about this?" Lorelai asked softly. "This isn't about what I said about you and Mia and your parenting...Because Luke, I am really sorry..."

"I know." Luke said. "This isn't about that, I mean not wholly. But even the doctor said I need to reduce my stress load. If we don't me to end up here again, I think I should probably follow his orders."

"Yeah you should." Lorelai said quietly. "Because yesterday, when I got that call from Taylor, it was the scariest moment of my life. I thought...I thought the last thing you would have heard from me was to drop dead..." She said ashamed. "I...I was so worried."

Luke sighed and finally took hold of her hand. "I'm not going anywhere." He said softly.

"Really?" Lorelai said quietly. "You're...uh...you're really not going anywhere? Like...to the apartment or somewhere?" She said nervously.

Luke let out a breath. "I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt when you told me what you did but you're my wife, Lorelai. April asked whether I could imagine a life without you and I realised I couldn't. I know we've had our ups and downs but I do love you. You can't keep taking stuff out on me though. It's not fair."

"I know and I promise I will change." Lorelai said sincerely. "I love you so much, Luke. I can't imagine life without you either and I don't want to."

"Come here." He said softly.

Lorelai let out a shaky breath, blinking back some tears, before leaning forward to hug her husband. "I am so sorry, Luke." She said tremulously.

"I know." Luke said softly.

"We're going to be ok, right?" She said nervously.

Luke smiled softly at her and leant forward to give her a kiss. "We're going to be ok." He assured her.

"I love you." She said sincerely.

"I love you too." He said.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Also, if you have any ideas for storylines, feel free to PM me. I will gladly read them. :) Thanks again for the continued support!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the continued support! :) Sorry it's a shorter chapter but I wanted to get something up for you as I may not be able to update for a few days! :)**

Chapter 8

"Hey boss guy!" Charlotte grinned as she walked into the diner to see Jess behind the counter the following Saturday.

"Hey!" Jess smirked. It had been a week since Luke had his scare and he was surprised when Luke sat him down and asked him what he thought about having some extra responsibility at the diner. He was shocked when Luke asked him what he thought about becoming assistant manager. This first week Luke had actually taken it all off and Jess found himself actually enjoying running the diner while Luke was resting at home.

"How's it going?" She asked.

"You mean apart from Kirk offering me his expert advice every day for the last week?" He said.

"Yeah apart from that!" Charlotte laughed.

"It's good." Jess smiled. "Caesar, we need that grilled cheese now!" He called through to the kitchen.

"It's coming!" Caesar called.

"Yeah you said that 10 minutes ago!" Jess called back.

"So Caesar's back huh?" Charlotte smirked.

"Yeah and I kind of think it would be quicker if he wasn't." Jess said dryly. "Oh thank god!" He said as Lane came rushing in.

"Sorry I'm late!" She apologised. "Hi Charlotte!" She smiled.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"You're good with Caesar. Get him to go a bit quicker now or else I may have to go in there." Jess said.

"I'll do what I can." Lane smirked.

Jess turned back to Charlotte. "Sorry. How's Luke doing? You went round there right?"

"Yeah. He's ok. Mom's making sure he's resting. Mia's loving him being home though." She smiled.

"That's good." Jess said. "And Rory and Sam got off ok?"

"Yeah. They got back ok." She nodded.

"Cool." He said. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"What? Nothing's wrong." Charlotte said confused.

"I know you. When I mentioned Rory and Sam, I saw your expression. Is something going on between them or what?" He said.

"No." She sighed. "I just...this whole thing about Rory not going to Afghanistan now.."

"What about it? I thought you would be pleased about that." He said confused.

"I am. I mean I would have been worried about her being there of course. But you don't know Rory like I do. This kind of work has been her dream since she was tiny. Just like I always wanted to be an illustrator." Charlotte said. She sighed. "I don't know. I guess I just don't get why she seems so ok turning it down suddenly. I know what happened to Luke was a shock but that was no one's fault."

"So you think she secretly still wants to go?" Jess asked.

"I think she might be turning it down because it seems like the easiest option, yeah." Charlotte said. "And because she knows Sam really doesn't want her to go."

"Huh." Jess said. "Look, just try not to worry about it ok? It's not really our business. And you don't exactly need the stress at the moment." He said gesturing to her stomach where she was now getting a clear bump.

"I guess not." She sighed.

"They'll work it out, I'm sure." He assured her. "So...fancy a burger and chips?" He asked.

Charlotte grinned. "You always know the way to my heart!"

"Coming right up." He smirked calling through to Caesar to make the order. "So where's Jack hanging out this morning?" He smirked.

"Oh I left him with Taylor in Doose's. He had a leak and I offered Jack's services." She smirked.

"Poor guy! His mom making him work at a weekend." He joked.

"I know!" She grinned.

"So where is he really?" Jess smirked.

"Hanging out with mom at the inn. He's test tasting Sookie's cooking apparently which I think involves chocolate pie, chocolate mousse and did I mention more chocolate?" Charlotte smirked.

"And someone's going to be ill this evening." Jess chuckled.

"But also very happy! And we could do with a happy kid. I know he's slowly coming round to the idea of the twins but it wouldn't hurt to butter him up a bit." She joked.

"True." He smirked.

"Excuse me, can I get some more coffee?" A customer asked.

"I should get back to it." Jess told her.

"Sure. I'll just sit here and observe." Charlotte said.

"You going to stare at my ass as I walk round?" He said.

"You bet!" She grinned.

* * *

"So I was thinking since your plans about going away has changed, why don't we start planning for the wedding?" Sam suggested as they collapsed on their couch after a long drive.

"Oh..uh..sure..." Rory said hesitantly.

"There's the excited reply I'm looking for from my fiancee." Sam joked.

"Sorry." She sighed. "I guess I'm just tired from the drive. Maybe we can do it later?"

"Oh ok. Sure." Sam said a bit disappointed.

"I might go and have a nap actually." She said getting up.

"Ok. Hey, can I use your phone for a bit? Mine's charging and I said I'd let Chloe know when we were back." He said.

"Sure go ahead." She nodded before disappearing off to their bedroom.

Sam reached for her cell and sent a quick message to Chloe before going on the internet to kill some time. It was then that he noticed Rory had a page open already. He was surprised to read what she had opened. _Journalism jobs abroad._ He scrolled down all the jobs that Rory had obviously been looking at. He hadn't realised that she was even thinking about applying for anything else. He knew it had been hard for her to turn down the Afghanistan job but he thought she enjoyed writing for The New York Times so he was surprised she was possibly looking elsewhere. He looked at the dates for these jobs which were in the next couple of months and some of them lasted for over a year. He couldn't believe she hadn't even talked to him about this. He put her phone back down on the table and leant back against the couch.

* * *

"So are you going to be here all the time now?" Mia asked, sat on Luke's lap.

"Not all the time. I'm still going to be working at the diner some days but I'm definitely going to be here more than I was before." Luke said, brushing out his daughter's hair. "Is that ok?" He asked.

"Yes! I miss playing with you." Mia said.

"I miss that too. Your cousin Jess is going to be working at the diner as well so while he's there, I can be here playing with you." Luke smiled softly.

"Yay!" She said excitedly. "Can we play now?" She asked.

"What do you want to play?" He chuckled.

"Barbies!" She exclaimed happily. "I'll get them!" She grinned rushing off.

"You had to ask..." Luke sighed but he had to smile when he saw saw the biggest smile on his daughter's face as she skipped back in. "So which one's mine then?" He smirked slightly.

"This one!" She said thrusting a blonde haired one into his hand.

* * *

"Nice nap?" Sam asked when Rory reappeared a couple of hours later.

"Yeah really nice." Rory smiled. "You eat yet? I can make us some sandwiches if you want." She said heading to their small kitchen area.

"Sure that sounds nice." Sam said. He watched as she started making their lunch. "So...when were you going to tell me that you were looking for journalist jobs abroad?" He said.

"What?" Rory froze.

"You left the page open on your phone. I didn't mean to snoop but it was just there." He said.

"Oh." She said quietly.

"Is this why you didn't want to talk about our wedding? Because you're planning on taking one of these jobs?" Sam said quietly. "Do you even want to marry me?"

"What? Of course I want to marry you!" Rory exclaimed.

"But these jobs last for a year, maybe longer! Are you seriously considering taking one?" Sam exclaimed. "I thought you enjoyed working at The New York Times?"

"I do! It's just, what with being offered an overseas job, it reminded me how much I've always wanted to do something like that. Afghanistan may not have been the right place for me but there's several more out there. And safe places as well." Rory said. She sighed. "I haven't decided anything yet. I was just browsing. I swear I was going to talk to you about it first." She said.

"But...if you do decide this, you'd be away for at least a year..." Sam said quietly.

"Well some are for a few months but I can stay longer if I want..." Rory said quietly. She glanced at Sam. "You could always come with me."

"And do what?" He said. "I love you but I also love my life here. I've got a job I love and I've got family here. I...I feel closer to my dad here." He admitted. "I'm sorry that might sound pathetic but...it's the truth. I like living in New York."

"No I get that." Rory sighed. "It's fine. I won't apply. I'll just continue working for the Times." She said.

Sam sighed. "No. Rory, if this is your dream, who am I to stand in your way?" He said.

"But...what about us?" Rory asked quietly.

"Hey what do these rings stand for?" Sam said taking her hand and looking down at their engagement rings.

"What do you mean?" She said.

"They stand for our love for each other. It shouldn't matter if you're halfway across the world. What matters is that nothing will stop us loving each other. It might be hard but we can make it work." Sam said softly.

"You seriously mean that?" Rory asked hopefully.

"How hard can long distance relationships be?" Sam said.

"Uh..." Rory chuckled nervously thinking back to her and Tristan.

"Ok, it might be hard. But I believe in us." Sam said. "Look, of course I'm going to miss you and I'm sad we won't be getting married just yet but I love you, Rory. And if this is your dream, you need to go for it."

"Really?" Rory said quietly.

"Really." Sam said.

"I love you so much. You do know that right?" She said softly, leaning forward to kiss him.

"I love you too." Sam said reciprocating the action but he couldn't help but think about how he was going to cope without Rory for such a long time.

"So...you're going to help me tell everyone about this right?" Rory said afterwards.

Sam smirked at that. "Sorry but you're on your own with that."

 **Hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Your support really does mean so much to me so thank you! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the delay! It's been crazy here with the snow and work and stuff. Plus I've not been feeling the best either. But I wanted to get a chapter out for you so I hope you enjoy! :) Thanks for your continued support!**

Chapter 9

"Jack, come on! Your grandpa will be here any minute!" Charlotte shouted.

"I'm looking for my shoes!" Jack called back.

"You've been looking for those shoes for 10 minutes!" Charlotte called back.

"Well he's like you with getting ready." Jess smirked from the couch.

"Well you could help him." Charlotte raised her eyebrows at him.

"It won't make him learn not to just put his shoes anywhere if I go and find them for him." Jess pointed out.

"Jess, please!" Charlotte said. "I told Rory we'd meet them at 12 as the bid-a-basket auction starts at 12:30. I want to get there at least today!" She said as the doorbell to their apartment rang. "And that's dad! Please Jess!"

"Fine." He sighed getting up and disappearing off to find Jack and his shoes.

"Hey dad." Charlotte smiled as she opened the door. "He's nearly ready, Jess is just helping him find his shoes." She said.

"Ok." Chris smiled. "I'm really looking forward to spending today with him. Thanks for letting me."

"You've spent time with him before, dad." She laughed.

"I know but it's never really been just the two of us and not for the whole day either." Chris said.

"Well Jack's looking forward to it too." Charlotte smiled.

"So you're spending today with Rory and Sam, right?" He asked.

"Yep! Rory's leaving at the weekend so I want to spend as much time with her as I can." She said.

"I can't believe everything has happened so quickly." Chris said.

"I know! But she applied a few weeks ago and they interviewed her over skype and she was given it a few days later. They want her pretty much straight away so...yeah." She sighed.

"Is she excited?"

"I think so." Charlotte nodded. "We all loved London when we went on our Europe trip after Chilton so I think she's excited in that respect and there are so many options there as well."

"Grandpa!" Jack came racing in and running over to hug him.

"Hey!" Chris smiled at his grandson.

"You found them then?" Charlotte smirked at Jess.

"Oh yeah, they were under his bed. You'd think that would be the first place he'd look don't you? But someone was a bit more interested in his Lego when I went in." Jess smirked.

"Oh Jack!" Charlotte laughed.

"Sorry." Jack said.

"Right, well have a good time! And be good!" Charlotte said giving her son a hug.

"Yeah no misbehaving. We will find out." Jess said ruffling his hair.

"Are we going to the park?" Jack asked Chris excitedly.

"If you want. Today's all about you. We'll do whatever you want." He smiled. He glanced at Charlotte. "I'll drop him back about 6?" He checked.

"6 is fine. We should be back by then." Charlotte nodded.

"Good. Ok, let's hit the road, mister!" Chris ruffled Jack's hair.

* * *

"If the point of today is to spend time with Rory, then why do we have to take part in this stupid basket auction?" Jess grumbled as they walked down the street in Stars Hollow.

"Because it's tradition!" Charlotte said.

"But we do it every year!" Jess said.

"Exactly my point. That's what tradition means." Charlotte smirked.

"But the point of the auction is to have a picnic with whoever bids on your basket so you won't be spending time with Rory anyway!" Jess pointed out.

"Well, this year we're double dating." She grinned.

"Huh." Jess said.

"Come on, just admit it. You love it really!" Charlotte grinned, giving him a painful nudge.

"No, I just tolerate it because you love it." Jess said with a slight smirk.

"Sure ok." She smirked. "Oh there they are!" She said spotting her sister and Sam just coming out of Andrew's bookstore. "Rory!" She called as they walked up to them. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Rory smiled. "Ready for the auction?" She asked.

"Yep, got my basket." Charlotte nodded holding it up. "Although this one has done nothing but grumble about it all morning." She smirked.

"As usual!" Rory laughed.

"You're not really into this town's crazy events are you? Come on, you have to be on my side!" Jess tried to appeal to Sam.

"Sorry mate. I'd do anything if it means spending time with Rory, so I'm easy." Sam grinned.

"Coward." Jess smirked.

"No, loving fiance!" Rory corrected him, giving Sam a peck on the cheek.

"This is sickening." Jess joked.

"We should head over there." Rory said. "Looks like everyone's starting to gather."

"Let's go!" Charlotte grinned. "Mom's making Luke take part, isn't she?"

"Why would this year be any different?" Rory joked.

"Well..." Charlotte said, thinking back to his heart scare a few weeks ago now.

"Mom says he's doing well." Rory said. "Besides, this isn't exactly stressful. You know Luke secretly loves these things." She smirked.

"True." Charlotte laughed. "Come on, we better hurry!" She said.

* * *

About an hour later, the four of them were sat on the bridge by the lake hanging their legs over the edge and already tucking into the food in their baskets.

"I still don't see the point of the basket auction when it was Sam and I who actually cooked the food that went into the baskets." Jess said.

"Oh shush grump!" Charlotte grinned. "Unless you want to take a dip in the lake."

"Duly noted." Jess smirked slightly.

"Plus you love us, that's why you did it." She said.

"Well that's true." Jess said.

"Definitely true." Sam nodded.

"We're nearly out of food. Sam and I can go get some more and meet you guys back here." Jess said.

"Sure. Thanks." Charlotte smiled at him.

"See you in a bit." He said giving her a quick kiss before leaving with Sam.

Charlotte glanced at Rory. "So...mom seems to be taking you getting this job a bit better this time..." She said.

"Well her reaction couldn't exactly be any worse than before." Rory pointed out.

"True." She conceded. She glanced at her sister as she gazed out at the water. "So are you excited?" She asked.

"Yeah." Rory nodded honestly. "But...well I'm nervous as well. And I'm worried..." She admitted.

"Worried? About what?" Charlotte asked. She saw her sister sigh and then she realised. "About you and Sam?" She guessed.

"I tried long distance before, remember?" Rory sighed. "It didn't exactly end well..."

"But that was different." Charlotte said.

"How?"

"Ok, you and Tristan were serious. But you and Sam are different. You're engaged to Sam, Rory. You know you want to spend the rest of your life with him right?" She said.

"Of course!" Rory nodded.

"And he wants to spend the rest of his life with you as well. You're committed to each other. You'll be fine." Charlotte assured her.

"You really think so?" She said quietly, biting her lip.

"I do." She nodded. "You love Sam. You're the happiest you've ever been in a relationship. Look, I knew the minute I met Jess that he was the one. You knew with Sam as well, didn't you?"

Rory smiled slightly thinking about Sam. "Yeah I did." She admitted.

"Well there you go. You two will be fine. And it's not like you took the year job, you'll be away for six months. I know that seems long but you'll be fine. You can come and visit here and I'm sure Sam's already booked his first visit already."

"In a month's time." Rory admitted, blushing slightly.

"There you go then." Charlotte smirked.

Rory glanced at her and smiled softly. "Thanks Charlie."

"What are sisters for eh?" She smiled.

Rory glanced at her as it was her turn to gaze out at the water. "I'll miss you too as well, you know." She said softly.

Charlotte glanced back at her and smiled softly. "I'll miss you too." She said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jess and Sam had headed to Luke's and got some more food and were heading back towards the bridge. "So how are you feeling about Saturday?" Jess asked his friend, glancing at him

"She's going to do her dream job. I'm happy for her." Sam shrugged.

"Yeah and that was convincing." Jess rolled his eyes.

Sam sighed. "I am happy for her. But...I don't know. I thought we'd be getting married within the next six months but now we've had to postpone that until she's back."

"It must be tough." Jess said. "When I was in Philadelphia and Charlotte was at Yale, we found it hard too. I mean I know it's not as far away as you and Rory will be and it wasn't for as long but we still made it work."

"I'm worried she'll figure out that she's too good for me and realise she doesn't want to marry me." Sam admitted.

Jess glanced at his friend in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Well who am I really? All I am is your hoodlum friend who stalks the streets of New York doing an unworthy job." He shrugged.

"Emily Gilmore really does have a way with words, doesn't she?" Jess said smirking slightly.

Sam did smile at that. "Yeah." He chuckled slightly. "I don't care about that really. It's just...I'm worried Rory will realise that she might actually be right."

"Emily Gilmore is never right." Jess said. He glanced over at Sam and sighed. "Look, Rory loves you. She's agreed to marry you. She wouldn't do that if she wasn't totally sure that you were what she wanted." He said. "Come on man, she didn't even need a pro/con list. That says something in Rory's world." He joked.

Sam chuckled slightly. "Yeah I guess..." He said. He glanced at Jess. "Thanks mate." He smiled.

"I'm only saying the truth." Jess said.

"So how's Charlotte doing with the pregnancy?" He asked.

"Yeah good." He nodded. "We've got another scan this weekend but she's good." He nodded.

"You excited?" Sam smiled.

"Yeah." Jess said not being able to help the smile that appeared on his face.

"I'm happy for you guys. And Jack's coming round to the idea?" He said.

"Yeah, he's getting there." Jess nodded.

"Good." Sam smiled as they walked over the bridge back to the girls. "We come bearing food." He said.

"Our saviours!" Rory grinned, giving Sam a quick kiss as he sat back down next to her. "I love you." She said quietly.

"I love you too." Sam smiled softly.

"Admit it, this is fun." Charlotte teased Jess.

"Yeah ok." Jess smirked.

"I knew it!" She grinned, thrusting her fist up in the air in victory just as her cell started ringing. "Oh it's dad!" She smiled, answering it. "Hey dad!"

Jess saw her expression change completely though straight away. "Charlotte?" He said concerned.

"Wh...what do you mean you can't find him?" Charlotte exclaimed, getting up and pacing back and forth. "Well why weren't you watching him?!"

"Charlotte?" Jess said getting worried now, standing up next to her.

"Well where are you?" Charlotte asked. "We're coming now!" She said hanging up the phone. "I can't believe it!" She exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

"What's happened? You're scaring me now!" Jess said.

"He's lost Jack!" She exclaimed terrified.

"What do you mean lost him?" Jess exclaimed.

"He's lost him! They were in the park, he went to take a call and then he turned round and he wasn't there! What if...what if...?" Charlotte said tremulously. "Jess..." She said tearfully.

"We'll find him." Jess said.

"Jess..." Charlotte said breaking down.

"We'll find him." Jess repeated, pulling her into a hug. "I promise we'll find him." He tried to reassure her but he knew he was just trying to reassure himself as well.

 **So a twist at the end there! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm glad you enjoyed the twist! Sorry it's shorter but I thought it was mean to leave you on such a cliffhanger! ;) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 10

"We'll come too." Rory said getting up with Sam. "We'll get mom and Luke as well. They can help look as well. Which park were they at?"

"Bushnell." Charlotte said tremulously.

"We'll meet you there ok?" Rory said. "Don't worry, we'll find him!" She said giving her sister a hug.

"Come on, I'll drive." Jess said as they all rushed into action.

They arrived in Hartford about half an hour later and rushed up to Chris when they saw him. "Have you found him?" Charlotte asked desperately.

"No! I've looked everywhere!" Chris said.

"How could you let him wander off?" Charlotte exclaimed. "He's 6, dad!"

"I turned my back for a minute! And when I looked back, he wasn't there!" Chris exclaimed.

"He's 6, dad! You don't turn your back at all! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! I thought you'd grown up! And then you go and do this! I can't believe you!" She shouted angrily.

"Ok, Charlotte, calm down..." Jess said softly.

"How can I calm down? Our son is missing!" She exclaimed.

"I know! But none of this is helping us find him, is it?" Jess said. "We have to start searching the whole park!"

"I've looked everywhere." Chris said.

"I'm not talking to you." Jess said coldly.

Just then, Rory, Sam, Lorelai and Luke arrived. "Have you found him?" Lorelai asked worried.

"No." Charlotte said tearfully.

"We'll find him ok?" Lorelai said hugging her daughter. "We need to all split up."

"That's what I was about to say." Jess said. "I'll go the east side. Charlotte, you go the west side. Lorelai, you and Luke go down there, and Rory and Sam, you go that way." He said. "We'll meet back here in a bit."

"What about me? Can I keep looking too?" Chris asked.

Everyone turned to look at him. "Yeah, the more looking for him, the better." Jess said. "You go that way." He said. "Ok, let's go." He said.

* * *

About an hour later, they all met up in the same place, no one having found Jack.

"Well maybe we didn't check everywhere!" Chris tried.

"Just go!" Charlotte shouted at him.

"What? Charlotte.." Chris said.

"I can't even look at you right now!" She exclaimed angrily. "My son is missing and it's all your fault!"

"Hon..." Lorelai said softly.

"No, don't even try to defend him! I want you to go. Now!" She glared at her dad.

"You heard her." Jess told Chris.

Chris glanced at his daughter's tear stained face and knew he couldn't say anything that would help so he reluctantly turned to leave. He stopped after a moment and turned back. "Will you at least let me know when you find him?"

"Just go." Charlotte said quietly.

"Hey come here." Jess said softly as he pulled her into a hug, after Chris had left.

"It's getting dark..." She said tremulously. "What if...what if someone's taken him?" She cried.

"We can't think like that." Jess said quietly.

"But it happens all the time. You hear it on the news!" Charlotte said scared.

"Look, Jack's clever ok. He got that from you. He'll have found somewhere safe to wait for us, I'm sure of it." Jess assured her.

"Wait, Grandma and Grandpa!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Jess said confused.

"Their house is close to here. I've taken Jack to go and see them from here several times. Maybe he's gone there?" She said hopefully.

"I'll call them." Lorelai said quickly pulling out her cell. She dialled their number and wished she was about to hear some good news. "Mom, hi!" She said.

"Lorelai?" Emily said surprised to hear from her.

"Hi yeah it's me. I was just wondering if..uh..you've seen Jack today?" She asked, glancing at her daughter who looked hopeful.

"Jack? No, why?" Emily said stiffly. "If you don't remember, your daughter doesn't exactly like me at the moment."

Lorelai sighed and sadly shook her head at her daughter who looked crestfallen. "Look, mom, I know you and Charlotte have had your ups and down but Jack is missing. He went out with Chris for the day and we think he wandered off. You're close to Bushnell Park. We thought, well Charlotte hoped that maybe he had remembered the route to yours and had gone to you..." She said quietly. She heard silence at the end of the phone. "Mom?"

"Jack's missing?" She said quietly.

"Yeah. And Charlotte and Jess are beside themselves. You really haven't seen him?" Lorelai said.

"No, sorry." Emily said. "Stay where you are ok? Richard and I will meet you at the park and help you look."

"No, you should stay where you are!" Lorelai said quickly.

"What? Lorelai, this is our great grandson!" Emily exclaimed.

"I know! But he could still turn up at yours. You should stay there in case he does." She said.

Emily sighed. "I guess you're right. But Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Let us know as soon as you find him. Please?"

"Of course." Lorelai promised before hanging up. "I'm so sorry hon..." She said softly.

"Oh god..." Charlotte said bursting into tears again.

"We just need to keep looking." Jess said pulling her into another hug.

"We've looked everywhere!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Why are you so calm about it?"

"Calm? You think I'm calm?" Jess exclaimed. "Charlotte, our son is missing! I'm like the opposite of calm! I know the streets are like, remember! I'm terrified that our son is out there somewhere alone and scared! You think I don't care?"

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said quietly, sniffing. "I just...I'm so scared, Jess..."

"I know." Jess sighed. "Look, why don't you go to your grandparents' house for a bit? If he turns up there, I'm sure he'd be happy to see you there. I'll keep looking out here."

"I don't know. I think I'd go crazy sat there doing nothing to help to find him." Charlotte sniffed.

"But you're driving yourself crazy out here anyway. It's getting dark, go get something to eat and then if you want, you can come back out after." Jess said.

"You'll call as soon as..."

"Of course." He promised.

"I'll stay and keep looking with Jess." Sam said.

"Me too." Luke said.

"Jess is right, hon. Let's go to your grandparents'. We'll grab something to eat, re-energise and then we can come back and help look again." Lorelai said softly.

"Mom..." She said tremulously.

"I know." She said softly. "Come on. Jess is right. If Jack does end up there, he will want to see you."

Charlotte nodded. "Ok." She said quietly. She glanced at Jess and then walked over and gave him a kiss. "Promise me you'll find him."

"I promise." He said. "Now go rest. Make sure our other kids are ok." He said looking down at her stomach.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah ok."

"Hey..." Jess said as she started walking off with Lorelai and Rory.

"Yeah?" She said turning back.

"I'll find him." He said.

Charlotte smiled tremulously. "I know." She said.

* * *

Another hour later and it really had turned dark now in the park. Jess was losing hope as he walked around calling for Jack. He could feel tears in his eyes and he thought about how scared Jack must be out here in the dark. He knew his son's fear of the dark. He looked around calling for him again but heard nothing in reply. He slowly started walking off when he suddenly heard some rustling behind him. He stopped and turned round trying to look through the dark at the bushes and trees behind him. "Hello?" He said cautiously. "Jack?" He said hopefully. "Son, is that you?" He sighed when the rustling stopped. "Look, if you think we're going to be mad at you, you're wrong ok? We just want to know you're ok. Jack?" He tried again. He sighed disappointedly when there was still no rustling. Maybe he had imagined it. Maybe the desperate urge to find his son safe and sound has started to make him hallucinate and now he was the crazy one talking to a bush. He started walking away again when suddenly he heard a small frightened voice.

"Daddy..."

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews so please keep them coming. :) Your support really means so much to me so thank you! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the delay! I've not been feeling well all weekend so it's been a bit of a blow out. Sorry! Here's the next chapter now though. :)**

Chapter 11

Jess froze and then slowly turned around. He felt his own body sag in relief as he saw his son slowly appear from behind the bushes. "Thank god..." He said.

"Daddy..." Jack said quietly, looking worried.

Jess looked at his son for a moment before quickly rushing forward and engulfing him in a hug, cradling his head close to his chest. "Don't ever do that to us again." He said gruffly. "You terrified us, kid."

"Sorry." Jack sniffed.

Jess could feel him shivering. "We'll talk about it later. Right now we have to let your mommy you're safe. Come on." He said, sending a quick text to Luke and Sam to let them know he's found Jack and to meet them at Emily and Richard's.

"Are you mad?" Jack said quietly, glancing up at him while they starting walking towards the Gilmore Mansion.

"No." Jess said.

"You seem mad." He said nervously.

"You terrified us, Jack." Jess sighed. "We thought something had happened to you."

"Sorry." Jack sniffed.

"Come on." He sighed.

They arrived at Emily and Richard's about 15 minutes later and Jess rang the doorbell. It was opened quickly by Lorelai who gasped when she saw Jack. "Oh thank god!" She exclaimed pulling her grandson in for a hug. "Charlotte!" She called.

"Have you found him ye..." She was saying as she rushed into the foyer but froze when she saw Jess with Jack. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed before rushing forward and pulling their son close to her and hugging him tearfully. "You're ok! You're really ok! He's ok right?" She said glancing at Jess.

"He's ok. A little cold but he's ok." Jess nodded.

"We should get him checked out just in case." Charlotte said.

"Best to be on the safe side." Lorelai agreed.

"Yeah you're right." Jess said.

"You found him!" Emily said coming into the foyer with Richard and Rory.

"Jess did." Luke said as he and Sam arrived.

"Thank god." Emily said relieved. "But you should know better than to run off, young man!" She said sternly.

"Sorry." Jack said quietly, reaching for Charlotte's hand.

"Grandma, not now." Charlotte said.

"What? He should know wandering off is wrong. You and Jess have been worried sick. We all have!" Emily said.

"I know." Charlotte sighed. "We will talk to him. But right now I want to get him checked out and then I want to go home."

"Ok." Emily said.

"Thanks for the food, Grandma. We'll be in touch ok?" Charlotte said.

"Really?" Emily said surprised.

Charlotte gave her a small smile. "Really. When things like this happen, you realise what's really important in your life, don't you?" She said.

Emily smiled slightly. "Thank you." She said.

* * *

Jess and Charlotte returned home after Jack getting the all clear after being checked out. "Go get changed." He told Jack, who rushed off to his room. "Weird day." He sighed as he and Charlotte collapsed down on the couch.

"Definitely wouldn't want to repeat it." Charlotte sighed.

Jess glanced at her. "Are you ok?" He asked softly.

"I just...I was worried that someone had...that someone had..." She said tremulously.

"I know. Me too." He admitted, putting his arm around her.

"You did?" Charlotte said surprised, glancing at him. "You never said..." She said quietly.

"Well...you were so upset and so scared, I didn't want to add to it." He admitted.

Charlotte sighed and leant her head on his shoulder. "You've been so great today. Really. I couldn't have got through it without you."

Jess gave her a kiss on the side of her head. "We do need to talk to him though, you know."

"Dad took his eye off him for a minute. Jack did nothing wrong." Charlotte said.

Jess sighed. "Come on, Charlotte. We both know Jack shouldn't have wandered off even if your dad did take his eye off him for a minute. I'm not defending him." He said before Charlotte could protest. "But you know he shouldn't have walked off. He knows better than that." He said.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah I know."

"Mommy..." A small voice said from the doorway.

"Hey sweetheart..." Charlotte smiled at their son.

"Come here for a minute, Jack. We need to talk to you." Jess said.

Jack walked over nervously and sat on the couch with them. "You are mad, aren't you?" He said quietly.

"We're not mad. We just want to know why you ran off like you did." Jess said.

"I don't know." Jack said quietly.

"There must have been a reason." Charlotte said softly. "Did your grandpa do something?"

"No." He said quietly, fiddling with his hands.

"He must have done something..." Charlotte said.

"Charlotte..." Jess said. "Look, Jack, we brought you up better than to run off like you did. Anything could have happened to you. You're bright, you know that. I know you know that."

"I know." Jack said glancing at the floor.

"We're not mad, ok? We just want to know what happened." Charlotte said.

"Nothing happened. It was my fault." Jack said quietly. "I shouldn't have run off. I'm sorry." He said tearfully.

"Jack, there must have been a reason." Charlotte insisted.

"There wasn't!" Jack exclaimed tearfully.

"This is useless." Jess sighed. "Right, go to bed. We'll continue this conversation tomorrow."

"Daddy..."

"No. You terrified us today, kid. And now you can't even tell us why it happened. Go to bed. Now." Jess said sternly.

"Jess..." Charlotte said.

"I mean it. He needs to know what he did was wrong!" Jess told her. "This wasn't right! Go, Jack."

"Grandpa Chris is getting married!" Jack blurted out.

"What?" Charlotte said shocked.

"He didn't know I was listening. We were feeding the ducks and he left for a minute to get us ice cream. He was longer than he said he would be so I went to the ice cream van and I heard him talking on the phone. I heard him saying how excited he was about getting married and then he said something about moving away." Jack said quietly, tears pricking his eyes. "Why would he move away? Doesn't he love me anymore?"

Charlotte and Jess exchanged a glance before Jess sighed and moved over to his son and pulled him close to him. "Of course he loves you, Jack. You know he does. But you know people also don't stay in the same place all the time."

"Yeah and your grandpa's always been known to move around a lot." Charlotte said quietly.

"So that's why you ran off? Because you were upset about that?" Jess checked.

"I know it was wrong but then it was too late and...and I thought you would all be mad at me so I stayed hiding. I'm sorry." Jack said quietly.

"Right..." Jess sighed. "Ok, off to bed now. It's late."

"Are you mad?"

"No, we're not mad. It's just late and you need your sleep." Jess assured him.

"Ok." He said quietly before heading off to his room.

"We'll be in to say goodnight." Charlotte called after him. She then glanced at Jess. "My dad's getting married..."

"Apparently so." Jess said cautiously.

"Why didn't he tell me?" Charlotte said quietly.

"Maybe he was going to." Jess said.

"Yeah right." She sighed. "He was just going to up sticks and move. It's what he does."

"Well maybe this time, he was just waiting for the right time to tell you."

"Are you really defending him?"

"No. But your dad's been great over the last few years. You know he has. Maybe you should give him a chance to explain before you go in all guns blazing?" He suggested.

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah maybe..."

"Your dad probably shouldn't have left Jack by himself but Jack shouldn't have run off either. It's both of their faults really. I know you know that deep down." Jess said.

Charlotte glanced at him and sighed before shrugging.

"Ok, well I'm going to go say goodnight to Jack and then I'm going to call it a night. Meet you in our room?" He said.

"Yeah in a minute." Charlotte said.

Jess nodded and gave her a kiss. "I love you." He said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "I love you too." She said softly. She watched him head down the hallway before slowly reaching for her cell and dialling a number. "Hey..." She said hesitantly.

"Charlotte? Have you found him? Please say you've found him!" Chris said desperately.

Charlotte was taken aback by her dad's worried tone and suddenly felt a bit guilty for not calling him sooner. "Uh yeah. He's ok. We're back home and he's in bed at the moment."

"Oh thank god!" Chris said relieved.

"Yeah..." Charlotte said quietly.

He sighed. "Charlotte..."

"So I hear you're getting married..." She said hesitantly.

"What? How...?" He said stunned.

"Jack heard you on the phone." She sighed. "He heard you say how you were getting married and moving away. He got upset because he thought you didn't love him enough to stay around."

"Oh geez..." Chris said guiltily. "So I guess you were right..."

"About what?" Charlotte said confused.

"You shouldn't have trusted me with Jack. I'm useless. I am the reason he ran away. You were right." He said quietly.

Charlotte sighed. "No. I mean, yeah he was upset about it and that's why he ran away but he knew better than to run away like that. Jess and I have brought him up better than that."

"You really mean that?" Chris said.

"I was terrified, dad. My son was missing and you were the easiest target at the time. I'm sorry I took it all out on you." Charlotte said.

"No it's ok. I don't blame you." Chris assured her, relieved she wasn't mad.

"Why didn't you tell us you were getting married, dad?" Charlotte said quietly. "It's Penny right?"

"Yeah it's Penny."

"Why didn't you tell us? Did you think we wouldn't be happy for you or something?"

"No." He sighed. "I was worried you'd think I was abandoning you again." He admitted.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"I was going to tell you, I swear. I just...I guess I chickened out. I don't want to move away but Penny's been given this amazing new job and it's in Boston. It's too good for her to turn down and seeing as...well she asked me to marry her, I need to support her." He said.

"She proposed to you?" Charlotte said softly, smiling slightly.

"Yeah." Chris said smiling slightly. "I know it's not traditional but it was...nice..."

"Oh I think tradition isn't always needed." Charlotte smiled softly, thinking back to when she proposed to Jess.

"So...you're not mad?" He checked.

"No." She sighed. "Just promise me you'll tell Rory before she leaves."

"I promise." He said.

"And you may want to tell Luke. Give him time to grieve the departure of his new best friend." Charlotte said smirking slightly.

Chris chuckled. "I doubt he will be too upset."

"Hey dad?" She said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations." She said softly.

"Thanks." He smiled softly. "And I'm really glad Jack is ok. Tell him I love him ok?"

"Why don't you ring up tomorrow morning and tell him that yourself? I think he'd like to hear that." Charlotte said.

"If you're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Ok. Well thanks. I'll leave you to it now." He said.

"Ok...Bye dad..." Charlotte said.

"I love you kiddo." He said.

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. "I love you too, dad." She said before hanging up. She sat on the couch for a moment before slowly getting up and heading off to bed.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the delay! I've been trying to get over an illness this week so haven't felt up to writing but I'm finally feeling better now so here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 12

"Hey, are you ok?" Jess asked softly.

"Yeah.." Charlotte said quietly as she stood with him by security at the airport, watching Rory say goodbye to their mom, Luke and Mia. She blinked back some tears as she saw both Rory and their mom wipe their eyes quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Just..uh..trying to keep it together." She admitted quietly.

"Got it." He said giving her hand a squeeze as Rory turned to face them.

"Take care of my sister, won't you?" Rory told Jess, giving him a teary smile.

"I will." He said. "Take care of yourself yeah?"

"I will." Rory smiled softly. "And you, no more running off!" She told Jack who was stood by them. She then took a deep breath and turned to Charlotte. "So..."

"So..." Charlotte gave her a tremulous smile. "You're finally getting your dream." She said.

"Yeah.." Rory said tremulously. "Just...don't have those babies until I get back ok?"

"I promise." She laughed. "Although you will have to come back when you said you would or else it will be quite tight. Unless you find out you love London and don't ever want to come back..." She joked.

Rory smirked. "I think I'm good. There's no way I won't be back..." She said, subtly glancing over to Sam.

Charlotte saw the glance and smiled softly. "Have a good flight. Take London by storm." She said giving her sister a hug.

"Thanks." Rory said softly.

"We'll get off and leave..uh..you two to say goodbye." Charlotte said.

"Rory!" A voice suddenly called.

"Dad!" Rory said surprised seeing their dad rush in with Gigi.

"Oh thank god!" Chris said. "I was worried I would miss you! I wanted to say goodbye in person and tell you good luck. And Gigi wanted to say bye too."

"Well I'm glad you made it." Rory smiled, giving Gigi a hug and then her dad. "Thanks for coming." She smiled at him softly.

"I wouldn't have missed saying goodbye." He said sincerely.

"Oh and good luck with the move and everything." Rory said.

"Thanks." He said.

"Well you should probably get going through security. We'll leave you to say your last goodbyes." Charlotte said knowing Rory wanted some time alone with Sam beforehand.

"Well...thanks for coming to see me off!" Rory smiled tremulously at everyone. "I'll...I'll call you when I get there."

"Have a safe flight hon." Lorelai said.

"Go get your dream." Charlotte smiled.

"Bye guys." Rory smiled and she watched them all trail out. She took a shaky breath before turning to Sam. "I really should get through security..." She said reluctantly.

"Yeah.." He said taking a deep breath. "You'll be amazing, I know it."

Rory blinked back tears. "You really think so?"

"Hey, this is what you were meant to do, what you've always wanted to do. You'll amaze them all in London." Sam said softly.

"I love you." Rory said launching forward to hug him. "You know that right? You know I'm not going because I don't love you right? I love you and I want to marry you. As soon as I get back, we're getting married I promise!" She said earnestly.

Sam smiled softly. "I love you too." He said kissing her.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Rory said.

"I'm going to miss you too." Sam said. "But we'll be ok. I've already planned to visit and we'll speak everyday. We'll be fine." He assured her.

Rory smiled softly at him. "I know." She said. "I really should go through..."

"Yeah." Sam said.

Rory leant in and kissed him again. "I'll call when I land." She said.

"Have a good flight." He said.

Rory nodded and reluctantly started backing away from him. "Bye." She said quietly.

"Bye Rory." Sam said softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Rory said and with that, she turned and started to go through security, turning back to give Sam one last wave before disappearing from sight.

* * *

The following day, Charlotte and Jess had just returned home from their 12 week scan. They had dropped Jack off at the Crap Shack for him to hang out with Mia and Lorelai. Jess glanced across at Charlotte as they were walking along the streets in Stars Hollow. "So are you happy?" He asked.

"Yeah.." She said distracted.

"That sounds convincing." Jess said dryly.

"Sorry. I just, two girls. We're having two girls." Charlotte said.

"I know. I was there." He said smirking slightly. He looked at her troubled expression. "You're not happy we're having girls?"

"No I am!" She said quickly. "I really am! I just...Jack didn't want sisters, remember?" She said biting her lip slightly.

"You're worried about Jack..." Jess said slowly.

"What if he hates them because they're girls? What if this restarts all this jealousy he had before?" She said glancing at him. "What if..."

"Ok, you could go on forever if you do that." Jess interrupted her. "Look, Jack is going to love his sisters. You know he's getting round to the idea of siblings. He's going to be fine." He assured her. "This is meant to be a happy day. The babies are healthy, we've found out we're having girls, we should be happy." He smiled.

Charlotte glanced at him and sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry." She said. "I am happy. Really." She smiled at him.

"Good." Jess smiled. "So am I."

"And our girls are so going to have you totally wrapped round their fingers." She smirked.

"What, like Jack has with you?" He shot back, smirking.

"Touche." Charlotte grinned. "Oh hey look, Andrew's closing the store!" She exclaimed as they passed the shop. "Aw that sucks! I wonder why he's closing..."

"He's retiring." Jess said.

"How do you know that?" Charlotte asked.

"He told me." He said. "You forget I used to work there. He wanted to let me know in case I thought of working there again."

"Oh right." She said.

"Do you think he might sell the place?" He asked.

"I don't know. Why?" She said.

"Just wondering." He shrugged.

"Oh ok." She said. "Well maybe you should ask him seeing as you two seem like such good friends." She teased.

"Maybe I will." Jess smirked.

* * *

"Hey Luke!" Charlotte smiled as she and Jess walked into the diner to have some lunch before picking up Jack. "Can we get two burgers please?"

"Coming up." He nodded. "The appointment go well?" He asked.

"Yeah it was really good." Charlotte nodded.

"Everything's healthy." Jess told him.

"And the gender, we'll tell you later." Charlotte grinned. "With mom."

"Yeah because god forbid we tell you first." Jess smirked.

"Good call." Luke smirked. "Oh have you heard from Rory today?" He asked.

"Yeah she called to wish me luck for the appointment. She's good, struggling a bit with the jet lag but at least she has a few days before she starts work." Charlotte said.

"Tell her hi from me when you next talk to her will you?" Luke said.

"I will." Charlotte smiled. "Although you know you can actually use your cell and call her yourself..." She teased.

"Oh I don't want to disturb her." Luke waved her off.

"Or you still don't have any idea how to use your cell..." Jess smirked.

"Did you want your food to go or...?" Luke said smirking slightly.

"Sorry. We'll stop." Charlotte grinned.

"Good." Luke said.

"We won't make fun of your tech phobia." She grinned.

"Or your aversion to trying out any new technology." Jess smirked.

"You two belong together." He rolled his eyes disappearing into the kitchen.

"Well played." Charlotte grinned at Jess.

"I learn from the best." He joked.

Charlotte laughed. "So what are your plans this evening?" She asked.

"I told Sam I'd take him to the pub before he heads back to New York tomorrow." Jess said. "Is that ok?"

"Of course! You don't need to ask." She smiled. "I might take the time to catch up with Lane."

"Sounds good." He smiled.

"Dead cow, dead cow." Luke said placing the food down in front of him. "I hope you both choke on it." He said dryly.

"Such service!" Charlotte grinned tucking into the food.

* * *

"So how are you feeling about going back tomorrow?" Jess asked as he drank a beer in the pub with Sam that evening.

"Alright." He shrugged.

"Really? Going back to New York alone? Going back to your apartment by yourself? Without Rory?" Jess said.

"I thought you were meant to be cheering me up here." Sam said chuckling slightly. "Because if this is the best you can do, I think you need some practice."

"Sorry." Jess smirked. "I just...isn't it weird going back to live in New York by yourself?"

"I've lived there by myself before." He pointed out.

"I know but that was ages ago now." Jess said. "Why don't you move closer to us?"

Sam looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"It would mean we could see more of each other." Jess shrugged.

"Aw Jess, do you miss me?" Sam teased.

"Don't flatter yourself." Jess smirked. "It was only an idea. But if you have this great life and job in New York, be my guest." He shrugged.

Sam looked at him for a moment. "Ok what's going on?"

"What? Nothing." Jess said.

"You've never cared about me going back to New York before when I've visited here. Why do you suddenly have a sudden urge for me to stay?" He said.

"I don't." Jess said.

"Jess, come on..." Sam said.

Jess sighed. "Andrew's selling his bookstore." He told him.

"Really? Wow! That sucks. You go there all the time, don't you?" Sam said.

"I used to." He nodded. "I've worked there as well."

"Oh yeah, you said." Sam nodded.

"I want to buy the store." He admitted.

"Seriously?" Sam said surprised. "His bookstore? You'd keep it as a bookstore?"

"I don't know." Jess said. "I haven't thought about the specifics yet but I've kind of missing running my own place." He admitted. "But I can't afford it by myself. And I don't think it would be much fun if it was just me running it as well..." He said, glancing up at Sam.

"Wait a minute...Are you suggesting...?" Sam said shocked. "Are you suggesting we go into business together?"

"Why not?" Jess said.

"Uh...because I live in New York. My life is there and my job." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah but we used to talk about one day working together remember?" Jess said. "We were going to kiss the world's ass, I seem to remember you saying." He smirked.

Sam chuckled. "I do remember that." He said. He glanced at Jess. "Are you actually being serious? Like, you really want to do this?"

"Yeah." Jess nodded. "The diner's great and I don't mind helping Luke out. He's paying me well for more responsibility but I really want to strike out on my own again. But I want a partner. A reliable partner so that I'm able to take some time out when the babies come." He said glancing at him. "You were the only person I thought of and wanted." He admitted.

"But...I would have to move here. Where would I live?" Sam said. "And what about Rory?"

"Rory won't be back for six months." Jess told him. "This would give you something to do. And by then, we could be doing so well that you could be a silent partner if you really wanted to. Which would mean you and Rory could get back to your own life when she's back. I just...I'd need the help setting it up."

Sam was quiet for a moment, taking another sip of his beer. "I'll think about it." He said. "I want to talk to Rory as well."

"Ok that's fair." Jess said. "I need to talk to Charlotte anyway."

Sam nodded. "Can I call you next week and let you know?" He said.

"Yeah." He shrugged.

"It's a big decision. If I do decide to do this with you, I really need to think about things and sort things out in New York." Sam said.

"Yeah I know. I get that." Jess nodded. "Look, it's no pressure ok? I really want to do this but if you don't want to, that's cool. I'll understand. I'll find another way to still do it." He assured him.

Sam glanced at him and nodded. "Ok. Thanks."

Jess nodded and sipped his beer again. He looked up after a moment. "You know, New York is a dump...We should know..." He smirked.

"Drink your beer." Sam smirked.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading them! Your support means so much to me so thank you! You are the reason I keep writing. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 13

"How long have you known me?"

"What?" Jess said confused as he looked up at Charlotte as she got breakfast cooking for them.

"Just answer the question." She said.

"Uh..11 years I think." Jess said.

"You think?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

"Ok. 11 years, 3 months and 10 days." Jess said.

Charlotte glanced at him in surprise. "You've kept count?" She asked touched.

"Well you're the first girl I've fallen in love with so, yeah." He shrugged.

"Aw you big softy!" She grinned.

"So you want to know how long we've known each other because...?" Jess said.

"Do you seriously believe I would have told you no about you buying Andrew's?" She said. "You've known me for 11 years and you think I would stop you?"

"Well no but...I told you that I'd get a safe job while you were pregnant so I could support you." Jess said. "This isn't exactly a safe choice. I don't know how it will turn out."

"True but I believe in you." Charlotte shrugged.

"You do?"

"Of course! Andrew did well with the store so it's not like you need to worry about customers. Plus you've run your own business before and did pretty well." She said. "And I think you and Sam will make a great team. I think it's nice you'll be working together."

"Sam hasn't said yes yet though." Jess pointed out.

"He will." Charlotte said.

"How can you be so sure?" He said.

"Just a gut feeling." She shrugged.

"So you'd really be ok with it?" Jess said.

"So long as I get a family discount, yeah." She grinned.

"Knew it would come at a price." Jess smirked. "You can have as many books that you want."

"Then yes, I'm ok with it." Charlotte grinned.

"I love you." Jess smiled leaning over to kiss her.

"I love you too." She smiled. "Jack, breakfast!" She called.

* * *

"Hey, how's London?" Sam said.

"Good. Still trying to get over the jet lag but it's good. I'm planning to do some sightseeing today." Rory said.

"Cool." Sam smiled.

"How are you? Are you back in New York now?" She said.

"Yeah, got back this morning." He said. "Although I'm not sure how long I'll be here for."

"What do you mean?" She said confused.

Sam took a deep breath. "Well I went out with Jess yesterday and he asked me something. Something that could sort of be life changing." He admitted.

"Sounds intriguing." Rory said. "What was it?"

"Well apparently Andrew's closing his bookstore." Sam said.

"Oh no, really? I went there so much!" Rory said sadly.

"Yeah, it's sad. But he's retiring so he's selling." Sam said.

"Well I hope whoever buys it keeps it as a bookstore." Rory said.

"I'm pretty sure they will." Sam said.

"How do you know?"

"Jess wants to buy it and he wants me to be his business partner." Sam finally blurted out.

"Wow! That's...big! I mean...wow!" Rory said shocked.

"Yeah..." Sam said quietly. When Rory was quiet for a moment, he started to worry. "Ror?"

"Seeing as you're telling me this, I'm guessing you're actually considering this?" She said slowly.

"Well...I don't know." He said honestly. "I told Jess I couldn't decide anything until I spoke to you."

"But you want to do this." Rory said.

"When Jess and I were in New York, we used to talk about how one day we would work together and kick the world's ass." Sam admitted. "It sound silly now but..."

"No it doesn't sound silly." Rory said.

"It doesn't?"

"Well only if living in a house of cheese is normal." She joked.

"What?" Sam laughed.

"Lane, Charlotte and I used to talk about all living in a house of cheese when we grew up. The minds of girl, huh?" Rory smirked.

"Well that would have been interesting." Sam laughed. He was quiet for a minute. "If I did this with Jess, it would mean me moving to Stars Hollow." He said.

"Oh...well I guess that would make sense." Rory said.

"But our life is in New York. We've got the apartment..." Sam said.

"Sam, I'm not going to be there for six months. If this is going to make you happy, then do it. We can sort things out about what to do once I'm back." She said.

"You're serious?" Sam said surprised.

"Is this going to make you happy?" Rory said softly.

Sam thought about how much he was dreading coming back to New York and spending six months there without Rory and then he thought about how he and Jess had always planned to work together and how much fun it could be. "Yeah." He admitted. "Yeah I think it would."

"Then you should do it." She smiled softly. "I know our situation is weird but I'm doing my dream job. You should get to do what you want as well."

"I love you." Sam said softly.

Rory smiled. "I love you too." She said. "So will you have to sell the apartment to buy the store with Jess?"

"I don't think so." He said.

"But won't you need to have somewhere to stay in Stars Hollow?" Rory said.

"Yeah but I have an idea." Sam said.

"Intriguing." Rory laughed.

"I'll keep you posted. I better ring Jess but have fun sightseeing. Talk later?" He said.

"Of course." She smiled.

* * *

Sam stood outside the diner a few days later, looking up at the building. He had already told Jess he was in and he wanted run the bookstore with him. He'd given his notice in at The Strand as well, after having promised Chloe that he would, of course, still visit her. The next step was finding somewhere to stay. He took a deep breath before going inside. He saw Luke stood behind the counter and slowly walked up to him. "Hey Luke." He said.

"Sam, hi!" He said surprised to see him. "How's it going?"

"Good. It's going good." Sam nodded. "How are you doing? Feeling better?"

"I'm getting there." Luke nodded. "I have to be more careful about not getting too stressed but I'm doing good."

"Good." Sam said, sitting down, glancing down at the counter.

"Everything ok?" Luke asked glancing at him, seeing he wasn't exactly himself.

"I..uh..I was hoping I could ask you a favour." Sam admitted.

"Ok.." Luke said.

"Well, Jess and I are getting ready to buy Andrew's store but I kind of need somewhere to stay while we start setting stuff up to open it." Sam said. He glanced at Luke sheepishly. "I was hoping I might be able to stay upstairs." He said.

"At the apartment?" He said surprised.

"I can't really pay you rent at the moment but I'm happy to help out at the diner so that I can earn money to pay you back and then once the store's up and running, I'll be able to pay you more." Sam said quickly. "I know it's not great but..."

"It's all yours." Luke said.

"What?" Sam said surprised, looking up at him.

"You're as good as family now so it's all yours for as long as you need." Luke said.

"Wow, Rory and Charlotte were right." Sam said.

"About what?" He said confused.

"That you're the best." Sam said.

"Oh...well..." Luke said shrugging him off self consciously.

"Seriously. Thanks Luke." Sam said sincerely.

"And you don't need to pay rent so don't worry about that." Luke said. "Want any food?"

"Uh yeah, a burger would be great." He said.

"Coming up." Luke smiled.

* * *

"Daddy!"

"Hey!" Jess smiled as he saw Charlotte and Jack come into Andrew's. "There's some good books over there, kid. Go take a look if you want."

"Yay!" Jack said rushing off to look at the children's book.

"So this is your new empire." Charlotte said.

"Looks like it." Jess smiled. "We need to get some more books in but Andrew still had a lot in storage so it's in good shape."

"Are you excited?" She smiled.

"Is it sad that I am?" Jess said embarrassed.

"No. I think it's sweet." Charlotte said.

"Yeah sure." Jess rolled his eyes.

"And you're looking extremely hot today as well." She grinned.

"I am, huh?" Jess smirked.

"Oh yeah! Rande Gerber hot." She nodded.

"Wow, praise indeed." He chuckled. He glanced over at Charlotte who had gone quiet. "Hey, you ok?" He asked.

"What? Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She said.

"Ok..." Jess said unconvinced.

Charlotte sighed. "Do you find me pretty anymore?" She asked out of the blue.

"What?" Jess said taken aback.

"I just...I know with twins, I'm obviously bigger than I was when I was pregnant with Jack and I know, well, you know..." She said glancing over at Jack who was too engrossed in the books to listen to their conversation. "...well, sex normally stops during pregnancy and I understand why but...well, I miss you. I know that's weird because we see each other everyday but I miss the closeness." She admitted. She blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm being pathetic. I'll leave you to your work. I'm sure you have a lot to sort out."

"Hey wait!" Jess said, reaching over to take hold of her hands. "Where's this coming from?" He asked softly.

Charlotte sighed. "I don't know." She said honestly. "I guess it's just my hormones."

"Have I not been there for you enough because I'm sorry if I've made you feel..." Jess started.

"No! No, Jess, you've been amazing!" Charlotte interrupted him. "Seriously, you've been great. I just...I guess with you helping out at the diner and now this new exciting project, I sort of feel, well, alone. Which is stupid because you always make me feel great."

"Charlotte, I love you." Jess said softly. "And you're always beautiful to me so don't ever think you're not. I guess I thought you wouldn't feel up to...well, you know, so that's why I backed off on that but I should have known it would make you feel like I didn't want it. I'm sorry."

Charlotte sighed. "I'm just being silly. I just, we haven't really had a date night for a while. I've missed them." She admitted.

"I've missed them too." Jess said. He thought for a moment. "What are you doing tonight?"

"No plans, why?" She asked.

"Well why don't we have a date night tonight?" Jess suggested.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean Sam is coming over in a bit to talk through stuff with this place but it won't take that long." Jess said. "And maybe we could ask your mom if Jack can have a sleepover at theirs tonight?"

"Jess, I don't want you to do this just because I've let my hormones get the better of me." She said quietly.

"You think that would be the only reason I want to spend time with my wife?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Well, no but..."

"I've missed the closeness too. And I've missed having time alone with you. Just the two of us. So...what do you say? Tonight at ours. Is it a date?" He smiled softly.

Charlotte smiled, embarrassed to feel tears prick her eyes. "It's a date." She said softly.

"Good. See you later then." He smiled leaning over to give her a kiss. "You're beautiful, Charlotte Gilmore. And don't let anyone tell you any different."

Charlotte smiled and kissed him again. "I love you."

* * *

"I'm so stuffed!" Charlotte exclaimed as she and Jess snuggled down on the couch after dinner. "You really excelled yourself. The food was great."

"Glad you liked it." Jess said.

"Why did you let me eat so much though? I feel like I can't move!" She exclaimed.

"Excuse me, do you think I really have any power over how much you eat?" He said.

"I guess not." Charlotte conceded. She smiled at him. "The meal really was great. Thank you." She said softly.

"Only the best for the best girl in the world." He smiled.

Charlotte smiled softly and leant her head on his shoulder. "Are you sure mom and Luke were ok with having Jack?"

"Yeah relax! They were looking forward to it and you know how much Jack loves staying there as well." He said.

"Yeah I know." She smiled.

"So do you want to watch a movie or do you maybe want to retire to the bedroom?" Jess said.

Charlotte glanced at him. "This isn't because I was an emotional wreck earlier was it?" She joked.

"No." Jess chuckled. "This is me wanting to spend some quality time with my wife. And because you're extremely irresistible to me at the moment." He smirked.

"You really do know what to say, don't you?" She smirked.

"I try my best." He smirked. "So movie or bed? I'm happy with either, honest."

Charlotte smiled softly. "I think bed." She said.

"Bed it is then." Jess said getting up, holding out his hand. "Hey, if we're really good we might turn those twins into triplets?" He smirked.

"I don't think it really works like that but sure!" She laughed. "Lead the way."

"On it." Jess smirked, leading Charlotte towards their bedroom.

 **So I hope you like it! :) Please let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews and I know I say this all the time but your support really does mean so much to me so thank you. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been struggling a bit of writer's block but I hope you enjoy this chapter! :) Thanks for your continued support! :)**

Chapter 14

A month had passed in Stars Hollow and life had moved on a lot. Sam and Jess had finally opened their new bookstore, Charlotte was taking it easy as her bump had grown a lot, Lorelai and Luke were still going strong and Rory was enjoying her new job in London.

"So you're enjoying it then?" Charlotte asked on the phone as she walked along the street in Stars Hollow to go and meet Jess.

"Yeah, it's really good. It's really interesting work and they're giving me a lot to do as well which I didn't think would happen straight away." Rory said.

"That's cool! It means they like you then." Charlotte smiled.

"I guess so." Rory said self consciously. "Oh I forgot to tell you, guess who I bumped into yesterday!"

"Who?"

"Logan." She said.

"As in Huntzeberger?" Charlotte said surprised.

"The very same." Rory nodded.

"Wow, that must have been awkward." She said.

"Yes...and no." She shrugged. "We actually went and grabbed a coffee together."

"Really?" Charlotte frowned. "Rory..."

"I know what you're going to say but no, I'm not going to run off with Logan Huntzeberger." Rory said quickly.

"Well you did let him whisk you off your feet before." Charlotte pointed out.

"Yes but then he cheated on me." Rory pointed out. "No, it was actually good. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Charlotte said slightly worried.

"Because I realised I didn't have any feelings for him at all. It was nice to talk and he actually apologised for what he did when we were together but he's engaged now. He told me about his fiancee and I told him about Sam." She told her. "I guess it was nice closure."

"Well...that's good then." Charlotte said relaxing slightly.

"Yeah." Rory smiled.

"Hang on a minute." Charlotte said as she walked into the newly refurbished J and S Bookstore. "Hey!" She smiled at Jess and Sam who were filling out inventory behind the till, giving Jess a quick kiss. "Ok I'm back." She said down the phone.

"How's the bookstore looking?" Rory asked interested.

"Really good!" She enthused. "Hang on a minute. Sam, it's Rory. Do you want to talk to her?" She said.

"Yeah!" Sam smiled.

"Hey, it was nice to catch up. I'm glad it's going well." Charlotte said to Rory. "I do miss you though."

"I miss you too." Rory admitted.

"Speak soon yeah?"

"Definitely." Rory nodded.

"Ok, here's Sam." She smiled handing her cell over to Sam, who took it into the back office.

"So how's it going?" Charlotte asked Jess.

"Good." Jess nodded. "We've sold a lot already."

"That's good." She smiled. "You know I'm so proud of you right? You really put your mind into this and it looks great."

"Thanks." He smiled self consciouly. "Jack get off to school ok?"

"Yep. Although he was moaning the whole way there." Charlotte smirked slightly. "Think he took after his dad in the school department."

Jess smirked. "Sorry."

Sam soon returned from his call with Rory. "Here." He smiled handing her cell back.

"Thanks." She smiled. "She seems to be doing well." She said.

"Yeah sounds like she's enjoying it." Sam nodded.

"It's weird without her though, isn't it?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah." He admitted.

"You're going to visit her soon though, right?" She asked.

"Next month." He nodded.

"That'll be fun." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah I'm looking forward to it." Sam admitted.

"But you'll miss me right?" Jess smirked.

"Oh definitely. You know how I can't live without you for one minute." Sam smirked.

"Good answer." Jess grinned.

Charlotte grinned. "Well I'll leave you to it. I promised mom I'd meet her for lunch at Luke's." She said. "When will you get home?"

"7ish. I'm going for a run with Luke after we close up." Jess said.

"Ok cool. See you later." She smiled giving him another kiss.

"See you." Jess smiled, watching her leave.

* * *

"Coffee please, Luke!" Charlotte grinned as she sat down next to the counter, waiting for her mom to show.

"No chance." Luke said.

"Luuuke!" She whined.

"No." He said firmly. "I didn't give you coffee the first time you were pregnant and I didn't give your mom any coffee when she was pregnant. I'm not going to start now."

Charlotte sighed. "It was worth a try." She said.

"How about some juice?" He offered.

"Urghh orange please." She grumbled.

"Here." Luke smirked slightly, handing her a glass and pouring her some orange juice.

"I swear you love having this control over me." Charlotte grumbled.

"No, I just want to make sure you're healthy during this pregnancy." Luke pointed out.

Charlotte glanced up at him. "Yeah I know." She sighed. "Sorry. I just crave coffee. I haven't had any for four months!"

"I blame your mom for your addiction." Luke said.

"I blame her too." She grinned.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! Michel was having a tantrum." Lorelai said as she rushed in. "Hey!" She smiled at Luke giving him a kiss. "Hey hon."

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled.

"You order yet?" She asked.

"And incur your wrath? No thanks." She smirked.

"Good decision!" Lorelai grinned. "Two burgers with fries please." She told Luke.

"I'm putting salad on both of your plates as well." He said disappearing into the kitchen.

"Why did you marry him?" Charlotte joked.

"Because he's good to look at." Lorelai grinned.

"Fair enough." Charlotte smirked.

* * *

"So it's going well then?" Luke asked as he ran along the streets of Stars Hollow with Jess. He had taken up running after his heart scare to get more exercise. He was surprised when Jess offered to accompany him but it soon become a regular thing. They tried to go out running at least twice a week.

"Yeah, I guess people can't get enough books so we always have customers." Jess said.

"I'm proud of you, you know that right?" Luke said.

"Thanks." Jess said humbly. "It's not much really. Andrew already had the foundations to it."

"Yeah but you planned the refurbishment and you were the one that got it up and running again. That's hard to do. Trust me, I know." Luke said.

"Yeah well..." He shrugged.

"So how's Charlotte doing? She seems well." Luke said.

"Yeah she's good. Everything's going smoothly but she's getting uncomfortable. This is different to when she was pregnant with Jack. She's...well bigger than she was with Jack. She finds it hard to sleep now." He said.

Luke glanced over at him. "You haven't told her she looks big, have you?" He checked.

"Geez Luke, do I have a death wish or something?" Jess exclaimed. "And I'd never say that to Charlotte!"

"Ok sorry." Luke said. "I didn't mean you would. I just..."

Jess sighed. "I know. It's fine. It's just...A few weeks ago, she asked me if I still thought she was pretty..."

"And what did you say?"

"That she was beautiful, that I always thought she was beautiful. It's just tough, you know, seeing her so insecure." Jess admitted.

"I get it. Lorelai was like that as well when she was pregnant with Mia." Luke said.

"Yeah?" Jess said.

"Yeah." Luke said. "Just focus on the end product ok? I know it's hard but once those babies come, it will all be worth it. And I'm pretty sure Charlotte knows that as well."

"I know." Jess said.

"You excited?" Luke asked.

Jess smiled slightly. "Yeah." He admitted. "I can't wait."

"Well I'm really happy for you two." Luke smiled.

"Thanks." Jess said gruffly.

* * *

Jess returned home to find Charlotte on the couch staring at a piece of paper. "Everything ok?" He asked.

"Guess my dad's going through with it." Charlotte said handing him the card.

"An invitation to his wedding." Jess said reading it. He glanced at Charlotte. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah. I mean I knew it was probably coming. I guess I was just surprised to see it all written down on an invitation." Charlotte said. "It's weird to see that he's finally moved on from mom."

"What?" Jess said confused.

"Good weird, obviously." Charlotte said. "It's just...a lot of my life, he's been trying to win mom round but it's nice that he's finally found someone."

"So when is it?" Jess asked.

"Summer. July 24th." She said.

"Well we should be free then." Jess said. "The babies aren't due until August. You do want to go right?"

"Yeah of course." Charlotte said. "It's just...Rory will still be in London. She should be there too." She said.

"Well maybe she can fly over for it." Jess said.

"Yeah maybe." Charlotte sighed.

"What's really going on?" Jess asked sitting down next to her.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I guess I'm just missing Rory, that's all."

"She'll be back before you know it." Jess assured her.

"I know and I'm happy for her. I really am. She's really enjoying it. It's just...I don't know, maybe it's the hormones. I just miss her." She sighed.

"Hey, come here." Jess said putting his arm round her and pulling her close. "It's natural that you're missing Rory. You two are like the closest siblings I know." He said.

"I'm sorry I'm such an emotional wreck at the moment." She sniffed. "You've been so great and I've been so...crazy lately."

"Hey, I can deal with your crazy so long as you actually do the pushing two babies out of you thing." Jess chuckled.

Charlotte laughed slightly. "Deal." She said. She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled softly.

Just then the doorbell rang. "You expecting anyone?" Jess asked as he got up to go and answer the door.

"No." Charlotte said.

Jess opened the door and was surprised to see April standing there in a state, tears running down her face, trembling slightly. "April?" He said concerned.

"Oh my god, April! What's wrong? What's happened?" Charlotte exclaimed concerned coming to join Jess.

"C...Can I come in?" She asked tremulously.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews so please keep them coming! Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for all your support! It really does mean so much to me. :) Now there may be some sensitive content in this chapter and I've been very nervous about this but I hope you like it. Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 15

"What's wrong?" Charlotte said concerned.

"I...I don't know...I didn't know where to go...I just...I..." April failed to get her words out.

"Ok take a breath. Come sit down, come on." Charlotte said softly leading her over to the couch. "Jess, can you get her a glass of water or something?" She said.

"On it." Jess said grabbing a glass and filling it up with water. "Here." He said bringing it over to them and placing it on the table in front of April.

"Thanks." April said quietly, shakily picking it up and taking a sip.

"What's happened?" Charlotte asked softly, exchanging a worried look with Jess.

April wiped some tears away and glanced at them before suddenly getting up and running to the bathroom.

"April!" Charlotte rushed after her, with Jess hot on her heels. "April?" She called through the bathroom door as they heard her throwing up. She glanced at Jess. "Something's wrong." She said.

"Yeah.." Jess said worried.

After a few minutes, April reappeared. "I'm sorry..." She sniffed.

"It's ok." Charlotte reassured her.

"What's going on April? You're scaring us now." Jess said softly.

"I...I didn't know who else to go to." She said quietly as they went back into the living room.

"You can always come to us, you know that." Charlotte told her. "Has something happened?" She asked gently.

April glanced at them and tears started to fall again as she nodded.

"Did Jamie do something?" Jess asked. He frowned as April put her head in her hands and started crying again. "I swear if he's done something..."

"No." April said quietly. "No, I mean we had a fight but he...it's not that. He didn't do anything."

"So what is it?" Charlotte said gently.

"We...we went to a party this afternoon and...and Jamie and I got into an argument..." April said shakily. "This...this guy...Toby...well he's been coming onto me for the last few weeks and it...well it caused problems between me and Jamie. I kept telling Toby no but Jamie got jealous. Toby threw a party today. His parents are rich so it was at their house."

"Why did you go to his party when you knew he wanted to get with you?" Jess frowned.

"I know, it was stupid! I was so stupid!" She exclaimed, crying again. "But a bunch of my friends were going and I told Jamie we should go together to prove to Toby once and for all how strong we were. So we went..."

"And you and Jamie got into an argument?" Charlotte said softly.

"Yeah, Toby wouldn't stop watching us and making comments and Jamie got annoyed. He wanted to leave but I told him that would mean Toby would win. Jamie got angry and started accusing me of liking the attention and then he stormed out." April said quietly, sniffing. She glanced at them and then back down at the floor. "I was upset so I wandered upstairs to get some space. I went into one of the bedrooms upstairs and sat on the bed. I thought I was alone but then I heard the door open and close. I looked up and...and Toby was standing there..." She said shakily.

Charlotte suddenly had a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. "April, please say he didn't..." She said.

April broke down. "I told him no...I s...said I d...didn't want to..." She cried. "I...He w..wouldn't listen. He told me...he told me he knew I wanted it too. I said no...This wasn't how my first time should have been!"

"Shhh it's ok. It's ok, April." Charlotte said pulling her close to her and holding her tightly.

"I said no. I swear I said no!" She cried.

"I believe you." Charlotte assured her. "We both believe you, don't we?" She said glancing at Jess.

"Of course." He said moving onto the couch on the other side of April.

"I...I was so scared. I...I didn't know where else to go." April said tremulously. "I couldn't go to mom...or dad."

"You need to report Toby." Jess said.

"I can't!" April said her eyes widening.

"April, he assaulted you! You need to call the police!" Jess said.

"Jess..." Charlotte said softly.

"What? He needs punishing. I swear if I ever see this scumbag..." He said angrily.

"Jess, maybe we should talk about this in the morning." Charlotte said softly. "It's getting late and I'm sure April would probably like a shower and then get some sleep."

"But..." Jess protested.

"Jess..." Charlotte said gesturing to April who had her head in her hands again and was trembling again.

"Yeah ok..." Jess conceded.

"Come on April. I'll help make the bed in the guest room." Charlotte said gently, leading her out.

Jess watched them go down the hallway before he pulled out his cell phone and rang a familiar number. "Luke?" He said quietly.

* * *

Jess looked up from the cooker where he was cooking eggs when he heard movement behind him. He saw April walk in. "Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.

"I didn't. Not really." April admitted.

"You hungry?" He asked.

"Not really." She said quietly, sitting down at the table.

"You should eat something." Jess said.

"I can't. I just...I can't stomach anything at the moment." She said. She glanced up at him. "Sorry. I didn't realise you were cooking..."

"You don't need to be sorry." He said. He glanced over at her. "I rang your dad yesterday."

"What? Why?" April exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Because you need him, April." Jess said softly. "I didn't tell him what happened, that's down to you. But you need him."

April blinked back some tears. "He will be so disappointed in me. This was all my fault." She sniffed.

"Hey, this is not your fault." Jess said firmly.

"But I went to his party! I put myself into the situation! I must have made him think I wanted it! I went to the bedrooms upstairs!" April cried.

Jess took a deep breath and went to sit down at the table. "April..." He said softly. "I need you to look at me." He waited until April looked up at him. "What happened yesterday was not your fault. You did nothing wrong. Toby took advantage of you and that was really wrong. None of this was your fault. Ok?" He said.

April blinked away some tears and nodded slowly. "Ok." She said quietly.

Jess nodded, getting up and going back to the cooking. "You should talk to your dad though. And you need to report Toby."

"I can't." April said quietly. "He's like the most popular kid at MIT. No one will believe me. And his parents are really rich. He'd get the best lawyer and I would come out of it a liar."

"Well then we'll get you an even better lawyer." Jess said. "April, you can't just let him get away with this."

"I don't know." April sniffed.

Jess could tell April was getting in a state again so he stopped. "You don't need to make the decision now. Just...think about it. Please." He said.

She nodded slowly. "Ok." She said quietly.

* * *

Charlotte returned from taking Jack to school to find Jess sat outside their apartment in the hallway. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Luke's in there with April. I thought I'd give them some privacy." Jess said.

"Oh." She said understanding. "Is she telling him?"

"I'm not sure but..." Jess was saying when they heard Luke's raised voice.

"Why did you go to this party if this Toby guy has been making your life hell? And why didn't you tell me?"

Jess glanced at Charlotte. "Let's go." He said quickly and they both went in to find April crying with Luke pacing around. "Luke..." Jess said carefully.

"Are you that stupid? Why the hell did you go? And why did you go upstairs?" Luke exclaimed.

"Ok you need to calm down." Jess said as Charlotte rushed over to April to comfort her. He watched as Luke exhaled deeply. "This isn't April's fault. Maybe she shouldn't have gone to the party but this wasn't her fault. What happened to her was not her fault." He said slowly, giving him a look. "Right?"

Luke glanced at him and then at his crying daughter and let out a breath. "Of course it wasn't." He said. He glanced at April. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. I just...None of this is your fault. Of course it wasn't."

"I'm so sorry, dad." April said tremulously.

"Hey come here." Luke said holding out his arms, to which April launched herself at him. "It's ok. It's going to be ok." He said softly.

"Mom..." April cried.

"We'll tell her together." Luke said. "Everything's going to be ok. You're going to report this Toby guy and you're never going to have to worry about him again."

"Dad, I can't..." April sniffed.

"Yes you can." Luke said. "And do you know how I know that? Because you are so strong, April. You're my daughter and I believe you can do this. And I will be there with you every step of the way."

Suddenly there was banging on the door and Charlotte went to answer it. "Jamie?" She said surprised. "How did you know...?"

"April told me she was here. Where is she?" He demanded pushing past her. "Why would you sleep with Toby? After everything we've gone through with him, how could you do that to me?" He exclaimed angrily.

"What?" April said shocked.

"Ok, you need to go." Luke said sternly.

"No! Toby's going round telling everyone you slept together! He took great pleasure in telling me by the way!" Jamie exclaimed. "How could you do that to me?"

"You need to calm down." Jess told him.

"Why? Why should I? I've just found out my girlfriend cheated on me! Why should I calm down?" Jamie said angrily.

"Because it's not what you think." Jess told him.

"Jess..." Charlotte warned.

"What do you mean?" Jamie said.

"Why did you leave her at that party? I thought you were meant to be her boyfriend! You think it's ok to leave her at this creep's house?" Luke said angrily.

Jamie glanced between them on. "Ok what's going on?" He said.

"Well let me tell you...when you left my daughter at that party, Toby found her upstairs and assaulted her." Luke said angrily.

"Dad!" April exclaimed.

"What?" Jamie said shocked. "April, what is he talking about?"

April felt tears run down her face. "I'm so sorry." She cried. "I told him no. I told him I didn't want to do it! But he wasn't listening! I swear I told him no!"

"You're saying Toby...he..." He said shocked.

Charlotte could see the shock on Jamie's face. "April's been through a lot." She said gently. "She could really do with your support."

Jamie glanced at his girlfriend still not being able to get his head round what he had just heard. "Of course." He said quietly. He looked at April. "I'm here for you ok?"

"You don't hate me?" April said quietly.

Jamie sighed and went forward pulling his girlfriend into his arms. "No. Of course I don't hate you. This wasn't your fault. This was Toby." He said. He held her close. "I'm so sorry, April." He said quietly. "Your dad's right. I should never have left you there."

"It's not your fault." April sniffed, finding some sort of comfort in her boyfriend's embrace.

"Well it's not yours either." He said. "You're reporting him right? You're reporting Toby?"

April glanced over at Luke and then at Jess and Charlotte before looking back at Jamie. She took a deep breath and then nodded slowly. "Yeah." She said shakily. "Yeah I am."

 **So I was really nervous about this so please be kind! Let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews so thank you for your continued support! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for your continued support! I honestly can't believe I've got this far with this story with these characters and that's all down to you all enjoying it so thank you! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 16

"I can't do this." April said quietly, her heart beating quickly, as she stood outside the police station with Anna, Luke, Lorelai, Charlotte and Jess.

"Yes you can." Luke reassured her. "We're all here for you, ok?"

April looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "What if they don't believe me? What if no one believes me?"

"We believe you, honey." Anna said softly. "And the police will as well."

"You need to do this, April. You will regret it if you don't." Jess said. "What if Toby does this to someone else?"

"Jess..." Charlotte said.

"It's true. Who knows what that monster is capable of!" Jess said.

"April, this is your decision ok?" Lorelai said softly. "But we're all here for you. And we will support you whatever you decide."

"Jess is right though." Anna said. "I know this is hard. Trust me, I know. But this is the right thing to do. Monsters like Toby deserve to get locked up."

"I can't! I just can't!" April cried, turning round and running off.

"April!" Luke called after her, going to go after her but Anna stopped him.

"Let me." She said. "Stay here. I'll be a minute ok?"

Luke reluctantly nodded and watched as Anna walked over to her car where April had gotten into.

"Honey, I know this is hard." Anna said as she got into the car next to April.

"How? How do you know?" April exclaimed.

"Because it's happened to me as well." Anna admitted.

April turned to her mom, her eyes widening. "What?" She said shocked. "Wh..when?"

"Before I was with your dad." Anna said. "I was at a party like you were and...well I was drunk and stupid. I got myself into a situation with this guy and before I knew what was happening, it was too late."

"Mom, I'm so sorry. I...I never knew..." April said quietly, sniffing.

"I never told anyone. Not even your Gran." She admitted. "And I was too scared to report him as well. I was ashamed, really ashamed, and I was positive that it was all my fault."

"Mom..." April said stunned.

"So I know how you're feeling. But I made the mistake in not reporting it." She said.

"So...so the guy that did it to you is still out there?" She asked quietly, biting her lip.

"No. I heard that he got arrested two years later for doing the same thing with two other girls." Anna said. "I felt awful. I could have stopped that. I could have prevented those girls going through what I had." She glanced at her daughter. "I know it's scary. I do know that. But I also know my daughter. And I know you can do this. It's the right thing to do and it will give you closure."

April was quiet for a moment. "Is what happened to you the reason why you haven't really dated since I was born?" She asked.

Anna thought about that. "Yes...and no." She said honestly. "I have to admit, your dad, he was a way of me trying to move on from what happened. He was really caring and kind and I thought it would help. I know it was wrong but your dad had admitted that he was going through something at the time as well."

"His dad just died..." April said quietly.

"Yeah.." Anna said. "I liked your dad, I did. But it was never that serious. Then I found out I was pregnant but by that point, me and your dad had broken up." She admitted. "You were the motive for me to move on. You were the reason I was able to shut out what had happened to me because I had to focus on you. You were my number one priority from day one. You saved me, April."

"Mom..." April said softly, blinking back tears.

"I didn't date much because I needed to put you first. I didn't want you getting attached to someone and then have them disappear from you life suddenly." She said. "Maybe it was because I wasn't sure I could trust anyone as well but...well I was focused on you and my career by then."

"You can't let that guy stop you from being happy with someone again." April said quietly.

"I know." Anna said softly. "The same goes for you."

"Jamie won't want to be with me now. I'm damaged goods." She sniffed.

"April, look at me." Anna said taking her daughter's hands. "You are not damaged goods. You are someone who has had to go through something awful but none of this was your fault. Don't let it affect you like it did for me."

"And reporting him will help me move on?" April said quietly.

"It will give you justice. I'm not saying it will be easy moving on but you've got your family and your friends. And from what I know about Jamie, I reckon he will be there for you as well." She said softly.

"I think I love him, mom." She admitted quietly. She sniffed before glancing at her mom. "Ok..." She finally said.

"Ok?"

"I'll do it. I'll report Toby." April said.

Anna let out a breath. "We're all here for you. I'll be by your side the whole time if you want me to."

April gave her a tremulous smile. "I want you to be."

"Then I will be." Anna reciprocated her tremulous smile. "Ready?"

April took a deep shaky breath before nodding. "Ready." She said nervously.

* * *

"Are you ok, Jack?" Emily asked as she noticed her great grandson looking distracted as he played with Mia in their living room.

Jack looked up at her. "What happened to Auntie April?" He asked.

Emily exchanged a glance with Richard. They had been filled in about what happened with April and they were shocked. Charlotte and Lorelai had asked them if they could watch Jack and Mia while they went with April to the police station and of course, they had agreed. "What do you mean?" She said.

"She came to our flat crying." Jack said. "Mummy and daddy thought I was asleep but I wasn't. And then they said they were going somewhere with Auntie April today but they wouldn't say where. Is it a secret?"

"No, it's not a secret." Richard told him gently. "It's just...it's a sensitive issue. You're too young to really understand it."

"I'm not that young. I'm 6! And I'm top of my class!" Jack said indignantly. "I'm not stupid!"

"We're not saying you are, sweetheart." Emily said gently.

"Then why won't anyone tell me what happened?" Jack grumbled.

"Mummy and daddy won't tell me either." Mia said.

Emily sighed and glanced at Richard. "Look, this is something that you can't tell anyone ok? Promise me that."

"Who would I tell?" Jack grumbled.

"Promise me." Emily said sternly.

Jack glanced up at her and slowly nodded. "I promise." He said quietly.

"Everyone is at the police station with April." Emily said gently. "Something bad happened to her and they need to get it sorted."

Jack was quiet for a moment and furrowed his eyebrows. "Did someone hurt her?"

"Yes." Emily answered. "But that's all I can say. This is April's thing. It's up to her whether she wants you to know because it's really upsetting for her. She's going through something really difficult and scary at the moment."

Jack was quiet for another moment. "I don't want her to be upset. I like Auntie April." He said quietly.

"I know you do." She said softly. "She's tough. She'll be ok. But it's something she probably won't want us talking about."

"Ok." He said quietly. "Will you play cars with me?" He asked.

Emily had to smile at the sudden change in the subject. "Of course."

"No, I wanted her to play barbies with me!" Mia said.

"Barbies are stupid!" Jack retorted.

"No they're not!" Mia exclaimed.

"Ok, no arguing now!" Emily said. "How about I play cars with Jack and Richard, you play barbies with Mia?" She suggested. "And then we can swap."

"Sounds like a good idea." Richard smiled.

"Jack? Mia?" Emily said.

"Fine." Jack grumbled.

"Ok." Mia mumbled.

"Good." Emily smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, in London, Rory was walking down a street on the way to a cafe dialling a familiar number as she did. She sighed as there was no answer and reluctantly hung up and put it back in her pocket. She reached her destination and stood outside for a moment before nervously walking inside. She immediately spotted the person she had agreed to meet for a coffee. He had cut his hair shorter but he was still recognisable and she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach as she walked up to him. "Hey." She smiled.

"Hey Mary." Tristan smiled, getting up and giving her a hug. "I ordered you a coffee. I figured you'd still be a coffee addict." He joked.

Rory laughed. "Definitely still a coffee addict. Thanks." She said as they sat down at the table. Rory sipped her coffee before glancing up at him. "So this is..."

"Weird?" Tristan offered.

"Yeah." Rory laughed nervously. "But good weird." She said quickly. "I was surprised to get your email. It seems all my exes have decided to come to London." She joked, laughing slightly.

"What do you mean?" He chuckled.

"I bumped into Logan the other day." She admitted.

"Logan? Wow! That must have been..." Tristan said surprised.

"Awkward, yeah." Rory said. "But it was nice in a way. He apologised for what happened and it was so long ago now, it was nice to have some closure."

"Yeah I guess so." Tristan said. He glanced up at Rory and he couldn't help the feelings that he felt for her. They never really went away. He tried to brush them aside for now. He knew this meeting was just two old friends catching up. "So how are you doing?" He asked.

"Really good." She nodded. "I'm finally being a journalist overseas which was my..."

"Dream. Yeah I remember." Tristan smiled. "I'm happy for you. I always knew you could do it."

"Thanks." Rory said, trying to hide the blush that appeared on her cheeks as she took another sip of her coffee. When she had received the email from Tristan, it had just been a friendly email to see what she was up to and how he was doing as well. When she found out he was in London as well, she was so surprised. When he found out she was there, he asked if she wanted to meet up for a coffee and she really had to think about it. She had even talked to Sam about it. He had been a bit weird about it, though she could understand why, but then he told her she should do what she wanted. So she replied and told him she would love to catch up. But now sitting in this cafe across the table from her ex, probably her most significant ex, she felt weird as old feelings started to creep up. It was understandable really, considering the way they ended things amicably and how long they were together for but she somehow felt like she was betraying Sam. "So, you said you were travelling the world?" She said trying to stay to a safe topic.

"Yeah. I guess your yearn to travel really rubbed off on me and once I finished my studies and got a job in an office for a few years to save some money up, I decided to take the plunge and just go for it." He said. "I've been to South America and Africa and now I'm doing Europe. Then I'm off to Asia and Australia after this."

"Wow, sounds amazing." Rory commented.

"It really is. It's so liberating." Tristan admitted.

"So how long are you in London for?" She asked.

"About a week." He said. "If you're free again before I leave, we should go for a meal or something."

"Oh..uh.." Rory said surprised. "I'm getting married." She suddenly blurted out.

"Uh..congratulations?" Tristan said confused at the sudden change of subject.

Rory sighed. "I'm sorry. I just...seeing you has made old feelings...well, resurface and it feels..."

"Weird?" Tristan guessed. "Yeah I know. It's weird for me as well." He admitted. "I guess feelings can't just go away no matter how long we don't see each other." He said.

"I guess not." Rory said glancing up at him. "I want you to know...I never wanted to hurt you. You were a great boyfriend. The greatest. I just...I..."

"You fell for someone else." He finished for her.

"What?" She said surprised.

"It's fine. Honestly. You can't help it when things like this happen." He assured her. "Maybe I was hoping you'd be single when I emailed you but I knew someone as amazing as you wouldn't be. Is it him?" He asked.

"Who?"

"That Sam guy. Is it him you're with?" Tristan asked.

Rory ducked her head slightly. "Yeah." She admitted. "But I swear to you, nothing ever happened when we were together. And we didn't start anything until a while after we broke up either."

"I believe you." He said.

Rory sighed. "I'm never going to stop caring about you, Tristan." She admitted. "But I'm committed to Sam. I love him and I can't wait to marry him."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy." Tristan smiled softly.

"I'm sorry if you thought us meeting would mean..." Rory said ashamed. "I shouldn't have let you think that..."

"Oh no, that was all me. You didn't say anything to lead me on. Honestly." He assured her. "I just...when I found out you were here, I just...I wanted to see you. I had to see you."

"Yeah...I felt the same way." Rory admitted, finishing off her cup of coffee. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "I should get going." She said reluctantly.

"Oh yeah, of course." Tristan said getting up. "It was nice seeing you." He said sincerely.

"Yeah, you too." Rory smiled softly. She went forward and gave him a hug, breathing in his familiar smell. "Keep in touch, yeah?"

"I'd like that." Tristan smiled. "And...good luck with the wedding. Sam is a very lucky guy."

Rory blushed again. "Thanks." She said. She sighed and looked at him for a moment. "Bye Tristan." She said softly.

"Bye Mary." He said giving her his trademark smirk.

Rory felt her stomach do flutters again but she couldn't help but smirk. "Always with the nickname huh?" She joked.

"You'll always be Mary to me." He grinned. He watched as she gave him a final smile before turning and leaving the cafe. He let out a breath once she had gone, that he didn't know he was holding. He slowly sat back down and ordered another coffee from the waitress.

* * *

Jess walked into the bookstore later that day to find Sam slamming his cell down on the counter. "What has your phone ever done to you?" He smirked.

"Nothing." He grumbled.

"Well someone's in a good mood." Jess commented.

"Sorry." He sighed. "How was it with April?"

"She had a little wobble when we got there but whatever Anna said to her worked because she did it. She reported him. We're not entirely sure what will happen next. I guess it will depend on whether Toby admits it or not." Jess said.

"Poor April." Sam said sympathetically.

"So what's up with you?" Jess asked.

"Nothing. It seems so stupid compared to what April is going through." He admitted sheepishly.

"Well it's obviously put you in a funk." He said.

"It's just Rory. We keep missing each other's calls. It's just frustrating." Sam said.

"That sucks." Jess said. "I remember going through that with Charlotte when I was in Philadelphia without it. There were days that it felt like the universe was against us."

"Yeah, I'm having one of those days today." He admitted. He glanced at Jess. "It's frustrating on normal days but more so today. She was meeting up with Tristan today."

"Tristan? As in her ex boyfriend, Tristan?" Jess said surprised.

"Yeah, apparently he was in London for a bit and asked if she wanted to meet up. She said she'd ring on her way to meeting him but I missed it and then I've tried ringing her since she should be back at her place now but I can't get through." Sam said.

Jess glanced at him. "Are you worried?" He asked.

"About Tristan?" Sam said.

"Yeah."

"No." He said honestly. "I know Rory wouldn't do anything like that to me. But it's still...weird. As much as I know she loves me and want to marry me and that her meeting with Tristan is innocent, she's still halfway across the world and she's with an ex. An ex that meant a lot to her as well."

"I get that." Jess said.

"I just miss her and am feeling sorry for myself, that's all. Just ignore me." Sam said.

"Why don't you go and see her if you're missing her so much?" He suggested.

"I'm seeing her next month, you know that."

"I know but if you're missing her, why don't you surprise her and go and see her earlier?" Jess said.

"I can't do that." Sam said.

"Why not?"

"Well...you need me here..."

"I'm sure I can manage a bit without you. We've got everything up and running. Besides, if I'm going to have to work with the moping person I'm talking to right now, I'd much rather not have to see your grumpy face everyday." He said smirking slightly.

"Thanks." Sam said dryly.

"Seriously though, I'd be fine if you want to." Jess said. "Look, you're my mate and I hate seeing you like this. Go, see Rory, be romantic and then come back."

Sam glanced at him. "Thanks." He said softly. "You know, Charlotte's right. You are just big softy." He grinned just as his cell rang. "It's Rory." He told Jess.

"Go, talk to her and then go book your flight. Before I change my mind." Jess smirked.

Sam grinned. "Don't worry, I promise not to ruin your rep." He smirked.

"Get out of here." Jess rolled his eyes. He did smile though when he heard his friend's happy voice as he finally spoke to Rory. His face lit up when the door opened to the bookstore and Charlotte and Jack came in. "Hey!" He smiled, giving Charlotte a kiss and ruffled Jack's hair. "To what to I owe this pleasure?"

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming and let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support. It really does eman so much to me. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**I am so sorry for the delay! I was ill for the past two weeks and am only finally starting to feel better with the help of antibiotics so I haven't really felt like writing much. But I'm getting better now and I wanted to get something up for you guys. So I hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 17

Charlotte came out of the bedroom where she had been doing some last minute things to some of her illustrations and stopped in the hallway as she smiled at the sight in front of her in the living room. Jess was currently lying on the couch with Jack on one side of him and Doula on the other, both engrossed in the book that Jess was reading to them. She thought about what it would be like with two new arrivals snuggled in their with them and she smiled before walking into the living room.

"Ernest Hemingway? Really?" Charlotte laughed. "They're 5 and 6!"

"Well, I want them to know what good books to get into when they're older. I just want to lead the way slightly for Jack and Doula, well I doubt it if Liz or TJ read any books to her at all." Jess said.

"TJ does!" Doula said.

"He does?" Jess smirked. "What, Dr Seuss?"

"No. He reads your books to me!" Doula smiled.

"My books?" Jess said surprised.

"Yeah, he keeps going on about how amazing a writer you are and how I should think about following my dreams one day." She said before shrugging. "He gets overdramatic sometimes."

"Well it's good that he's telling you to follow your dreams." Charlotte smiled. "Isn't it Jess?"

"Uh..yeah. Yeah it is." Jess said, slightly surprised but also finding himself respecting TJ a bit for obviously caring a lot about his sister's future. He smiled down at Doula. "You should listen to him. You always follow your dreams ok? You can do anything with your life. Anything you want. I didn't have very many people in my life telling me that but you do apparently. So listen to them ok?" He said.

Doula nodded. "Can we finish the book now?" She asked snuggling back down next to her big brother.

"Yeah, can we daddy? Please!" Jack said.

"See, they like Hemingway." Jess smirked at Charlotte.

"Just wait until I tell Rory about this." She smirked.

* * *

Rory got up from her laptop when she heard a knock at the door and went and opened it. "Hi..." She said surprised.

"Hey Mary..." Tristan said sheepishly.

"Wha...What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I know you said no to the meal but it's my last night here and...well...I just had to see you again. That's all. Call me pathetic." Tristan shrugged.

Rory smirked slightly. "Pathetic."

"Thanks." He smirked. "Look, I'll go if you want or..uh..if you're working..." He said spotting her laptop open.

"No." Rory said quickly. She sighed. "I mean, no you don't need to leave. I'm nearly done with my work anyway. And I was kind of regretting saying no to that meal." She admitted.

"You were?" Tristan said surprised.

"Well...I guess at the cafe, it didn't really seem like a goodbye thing. Plus, I haven't exactly made many friends here yet so I could do with an evening out. You'll be protecting me from getting a loner status." Rory joked.

"Well we can't have that now, can we?" He smirked. "Although I don't really think there's such a thing as a loner status."

"There was at Chilton." Rory said, going to grab her jacket.

"What?" Tristan laughed.

"Yep. I was told to stop being antisocial and a loner and that Harvard would think badly of it. So I joined a table at lunch, a random table, and I ended up being puffed." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah I heard about that!" He smirked. "And apparently you stood up to Charleston as well."

"Oh god, the school heard about that?" She cringed.

"Only me. Paris was actually secretly quite impressed." Tristan said.

"That's so embarrassing." Rory shook her head. "Right let's go!" She smiled going towards the door and opening it. She froze as she opened it though as she found another very familiar person standing on the other side, his hand raised to knock on it. "Sam?" She said shocked.

"Hi..." Sam said slowly as he glanced between her and Tristan.

"Oh my god!" Rory exclaimed, her face suddenly breaking into the biggest grin ever. "Oh my god! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed excitedly, launching herself at him, giving him a hug.

"Surprise..." Sam said reciprocating the hug but glancing at Tristan again. "Did I..uh..catch you at a bad time?" He said hesitantly, pulling away slowly and looking between them.

"What?" Rory said but then suddenly realised the situation before them. "Oh, no, Tristan and I were just going to grab some food. It's his last night here so we..uh..we were going to just...well, grab some food..." She said suddenly feeling awkward.

"Oh..right.." Sam said.

"It's no problem. You've obviously got someone to spend the evening with now. Defend your loner status." Tristan joked. "I'll get off. Leave you two to it."

"Tristan..." Rory said.

"It's cool." Tristan smiled reassuredly. "Take care yeah?" He said softly.

"Uh..yeah. You too." Rory said.

Tristan glanced at Sam. "Look after her yeah? She's a special one." He said.

"I know that." Sam nodded.

"Well, have a nice evening." He said, giving Rory one last smile before leaving.

Rory stood there for a moment, glancing at Sam. "I'll be right back..." She said quickly.

"Rory!" Sam called after her but sighed as the door shut behind her as she followed Tristan out. He looked round the apartment and put his suitcase down and also the bunch of flowers he had yet to give her. This wasn't how he imagined this reunion would be like.

"Tristan wait!" Rory said catching up with Tristan in the hallway. "I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to turn up out of the blue." She apologised.

"I think that was sort of the point of his surprise visit." Tristan chuckled.

Rory smiled slightly. "I know. But...we were going to go out. Have our last...goodbye." She said softly.

Tristan smiled softly. "We don't need a last goodbye." He said. "We have our memories. Lots of good ones, I hope." He smirked slightly.

"Lots of good ones." She smiled softly at him.

"That's enough for me." He said. "It's not like one of us is dying. We can still keep in touch. We can be friends." He pointed out.

"Yeah. Yeah I guess you're right." She said.

"I think right now though, you should be in there with your fiance who's flown 8 hours to see you." Tristan smiled. "Because I think you've missed him."

"What?" She said confused.

"That big grin and hug when you realised who it was sort of told me that." Tristan chuckled. "You really love him, don't you?" He said softly.

Rory blushed slightly but smiled. "Yeah. I really do." She said softly.

"Then go be with him. I mean it though, I want emails ok? I want us to be friends." He smiled.

"Well then I want postcards then." She smirked.

"Deal." Tristan smirked. He smiled and gave her a hug. "Enjoy your time with him, Mary. You deserve every happiness."

"Thanks Tristan." Rory said softly, reciprocating his action. "Enjoy your travels!" She called after him as he started to walk off. She grinned as he turned round, gave her a mock salute and then disappeared from view. She let out a breath and walked back to the apartment. She took a deep breath before going back in. "Can we do this again?" She asked as she went in.

"Do what?" Sam said confused.

"You being at the door, me answering, you saying surprise and me being surprised!" She said pushing him towards the door. "It was all wrong and I'm so sorry! You flew all the way here to surprise me and finding me with Tristan must have been...weird." She said.

"Rory..." He tried.

"But it was innocent, I swear!" Rory continued quickly. "It was his last night and he offered to take me out. I haven't had an evening out since I got here and it was nice that someone was inviting me out. I know it's weird because it was him but I swear we were just doing it as friends!"

"Rory..." Sam tried again.

"But you planned this surprise romantic visit and I ruined it so please can we do it again? Tristan's gone and I promise my reaction will be better!" She begged.

"Well, your reaction was actually pretty good." Sam said, his lips twitching slightly.

"Please?" Rory said, pushing him out of the door.

"Ok fine!" Sam couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok good! You need to knock though!" Rory said before shutting the door. She opened the door when Sam obediently knocked again. "Oh my god!" Rory mock exclaimed. "I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here?" She grinned giving him a hug.

"Surprise!" Sam smirked.

"It's so good to see you!" Rory grinned, leaning in to finally give her fiance a hello kiss.

Sam smiled at that. "Yeah, it's good to see you too." He said sincerely.

Rory smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry I ruined it." She said. "I honestly didn't know Tristan would turn up..."

"It's fine." He assured.

"Really?"

"I won't lie. It did take me by surprise seeing the two of you laughing and chatting again but...like you said, it was innocent. I trust you." He said.

Rory relaxed. "I love you." She said softly, kissing him again.

"I love you too." He smiled. "I've missed you."

"Oh god, I've missed you so much as well!" Rory exclaimed. "Seriously." She added.

"Here." Sam smiled handing over the flowers he bought her.

"They're beautiful. Thank you." She smiled softly. "So how long are you here for?" She asked excitedly as she found a vase for the flowers.

"Just the weekend." He said. "But the weather's meant to be great and I've got stuff planned." He smiled.

"Researched London, did you?" She teased.

"Maybe." He smirked.

"There. Perfect." Rory smiled putting the flowers in a vase. "So...want to see the bedroom? To put your bags in there of course..." She grinned.

"Oh of course." Sam smirked, following her through to the bedroom.

* * *

"Was she good?" Liz asked as Doula ran into the house when Jess dropped her back. "Come on in." She smiled at her son.

Jess reluctantly followed her in but nodded. "She was good." He said.

"Good." Liz smiled.

"TJ." Jess nodded at his step-dad.

"Jess." TJ nodded. "Hope this one didn't wear you out too much."

"She was fine." Jess said.

"We read books with Jack!" Doula smiled.

"You did huh?" TJ smiled.

"Yeah and then we went to the park with Auntie Charlotte and Jack!" She said excitedly.

"Sounds like you had a great day." Liz smiled fondly at her daughter, stroking her hair. "Now go hug your brother goodbye, you need to get ready for bed."

Doula rushed to Jess and wrapped her small arms round his waist. "Can we do it again soon?" She asked.

Jess smiled and bent down to kiss the top of his sister's head. "Of course. Anytime you want." He said.

"Thanks again for having her, son." Liz smiled at Jess before going off to help Doula get ready for bed.

"No problem." Jess said. He glanced at TJ awkwardly. "So...I should probably get going..."

"Sure." TJ said. "It was nice of you and Charlotte to have her for the day. She really loves seeing you." He said.

"Likewise." Jess nodded. He glanced at the front door before glancing back at TJ. "I think it's cool that you're telling her to go after her dreams." He said surprising himself and TJ.

"The kid's bright. She deserves to do anything she wants. I know she can do it. You know, I bet she got the brains from you." He pointed out.

"Doubt it." Jess snorted.

"Come on, someone who had to resit his final year but has gone on to write real novels which are still selling nationwide. That tells me you didn't really need to resit that final year. It tells me you probably could have aced it the first time. I know you've had some hard times. Your mom hasn't gone into details with me and I wouldn't want her to because that's personal to you but I know you've had it tough. But I think if Doula turns out anything like you, I'd be pretty happy." He shrugged. "You put yourself down too much. You shouldn't."

Jess looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Thanks." He said gruffly. He started to leave before he turned round hesitantly. "You know, I'm glad you married my mom. You're good for her." He said awkwardly, rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Thanks." TJ nodded. "That means a lot from you."

Jess nodded at him, gave him a small smile before turning back round and finally leaving.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think by reviewing and I promise I'll try and make updates more regular now! :) Thanks for all your continued support. It means so much! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you for your continued support! I hope you're all still with me after my little break. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 18

"Hey mom!" Charlotte smiled as her mom opened the front door of the Crap Shack.

"Hi hon, thanks for this." Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "Luke was going to have a day off today to be with Mia but Caesar called in sick this morning so he has to go in at least until Lane gets in." She said.

"It's fine! I love seeing Mia, you know that." Charlotte smiled. "Besides, Jess has taken Jack out with TJ and Doula."

"I'm sorry, did you say Jess has gone out voluntarily with TJ?" Lorelai said.

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, I think he's sort of made a truce with him now."

"Well that's not something I thought I'd hear." Lorelai joked. "Anyway, I've really got to run. Be good for your sister, you." She told Mia, giving her a kiss. "I won't be late back."

"Ok, bye." Charlotte said. She grinned at her sister. "So what do you want to do?"

"Can we bake?" Mia asked excitedly.

"Urgh seriously? You know that's the one thing I'm not good at!" She groaned.

"Please? I'll help. And I've got the recipes!" Mia said. "Daddy said he'd bake with me today..."

Charlotte sighed as her little sister gave her those Gilmore puppy dog eyes. "I can't believe I taught you how to do that." She said. "Fine, let's bake." She said, getting a whoop of cheer in response. She had to smile when Mia rushed off to the kitchen excitedly.

* * *

"You are full of surprises, you know that right?" Rory said.

"Well I aim to please." Sam said.

"I can't believe you hired out a whole pod to have to ourselves! Wasn't it expensive to do?" Rory said as they stood in one of the pods on the London Eye.

"I'm allowed to treat my girl every so often." Sam smiled, going to stand next to her as she looked out at the view of London.

"I just hope you haven't spent too much money on me. Seeing you is enough." Rory smiled softly.

Sam smiled. "I just wanted to make this weekend special. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." She sad softly, leaning in to give him a kiss. "And this is perfect. It's so beautiful from up here."

"Yeah it is." He smiled, putting his arm round her and enjoying the close contact between them as they looked over sunny London.

* * *

"You know, weird as it seems, I always wanted to go feed the ducks when I was younger." Jess admitted as he was sat on a bench next to TJ watching Jack and Doula excitedly throwing bread into the water for the ducks.

"Your mom never took you?" TJ asked, glancing at him.

Jess snorted. "She never did anything with me. She was always too drunk or too high or too occupied by her current boyfriend at the time." He said. He glanced at TJ and sighed. "Sorry. I just...sometimes I wish I had some memories like this from my childhood."

"I get that." TJ nodded. "That's why I want to make sure Doula has those memories. And your mom does too. She knows she let you down big time."

"She does?"

"She told me." He said. "She knows she can't turn back time for you but she wants to make sure it's different for Doula."

"Well...good." Jess nodded.

"Thanks for agreeing to come with me today. Doula was really excited when she heard you were coming with Jack." TJ said.

"Yeah, well, she's a good kid." Jess said. "She deserves a brother who gives a damn."

"Well I think you're a pretty awesome brother." TJ said.

Jess glanced at him and then glanced back at Doula and Jack for a moment before glancing back at his step-dad. "I..uh..I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time for a while." He said awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it." TJ waved him off.

"I..uh..I've always found it hard to trust men. Especially men connected to my mom. I just assumed you'd be the same as all the others." Jess admitted, not really knowing why he was opening up so much to him.

"I can understand that." He said. He glanced over at him. "Did they used to hurt you?" He asked cautiously. He saw Jess look at him in surprise. "Your mom hasn't told me anything personal, just that she knows she always chose the wrong guy. And that it was hard on you."

Jess just shrugged. "Some. But I got used to it."

"No wonder you were sceptical of me." TJ said. "It must have been tough on you not having a male role model while you were growing up."

"I had Sam's dad. And then I had Luke." Jess said.

"True. But it still must have been hard. I know what it's like." He said.

Jess looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"My dad ran out on us when I was three." TJ told him.

"Seriously?" Jess said surprised.

"My mom had to work all hours of the day to provide for me and my brother but we still couldn't do all the stuff our friends got to do. Our mom just couldn't earn that much money." He said. "Don't get me wrong, our mom was great. But there were tough times."

"I didn't know..." Jess said quietly.

"I don't really talk much about it." TJ shrugged. "But I get what it's like not to have a father figure around. That's why when I got with your mom, I understood she came as a package deal. She told me about you straight away and I vowed I would be there for you if you needed me. Except, I guess you didn't really..."

"I didn't really give you a chance." Jess said sheepishly.

"I didn't exactly make it easy for you though. I know I can be a bit full on sometimes." TJ said. "I just...I guess I wanted you to know that you had me if you needed me."

Just then Doula and Jack came rushing up to them after finishing their bag of bread. "Can we go get ice cream?" Doula asked TJ.

"Please daddy!" Jack asked Jess excitedly.

"Well I don't know, did you feed all the ducks?" TJ said.

"Every one of them." Doula said.

"And you didn't leave one out?" TJ said.

"Not one." She said solemnly.

"Well what do you think, Jess? Think they deserve ice cream?" TJ looked over at Jess, his eyes twinkling slightly.

Jess couldn't help but smirk. "I think they might do."

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed happily. "Come on, there's an ice cream van over there!" He told Doula and the two of them started rushing off towards it.

Jess glanced at TJ who was chuckling as they followed the kids. "You know, having a step-dad could actually be quite cool." He said.

TJ glanced at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jess said. "Hey, if I have any questions about tights, I know who to come to don't I?" He said smirking slightly.

TJ chuckled. "I would be your man for that, yes."

Jess smirked. "Come on, we better hurry before they start buying up the whole ice cream van." He said nodding towards the kids who were already chatting away to the ice cream man.

"Oh shit, yeah!" TJ said rushing off.

* * *

"You really did do your research, didn't you?" Rory teased.

"I try my best." Sam said.

"This food is delicious." She said sincerely.

"It's good right?" Sam nodded.

"And the view's great! How did you manage to get us this table right by the window?" She asked.

"Used my charm." He joked. He smirked when Rory raised her eyebrows at him. "Ok, I told them I wanted to treat my girl who I hadn't seen for months and I wanted to surprise. Seemed to get their sympathy." He chuckled.

"Sam!" She exclaimed laughing.

"What? We got the table, didn't we?" He grinned.

"You're impossible." Rory laughed.

"Thanks." He grinned.

"So what else have you got planned for us today then?" Rory smiled.

"You'll have to wait and see." Sam smiled.

* * *

"Ok, I am officially done!" Charlotte exclaimed as she collapsed onto the couch. "No more baking for a very long time!"

"We didn't do that much!" Mia defended.

"Are you kidding me? We've made brownies, we've made chocolate chip cookies, we've made flapjacks...Need I go on?" She said.

Mia giggled. "Mommy will be happy."

"Oh that I'm sure of." Charlotte smiled slightly. "Come here." She said holding her arms out and Mia joined her on the couch. "How about we watch some tv now?"

"Ok." Mia smiled snuggling into her older sister. She looked at the tv as Charlotte turned on some cartoons. "Thanks for baking with me." She said quietly.

Charlotte smiled. "No problem, sis. It was fun." She said.

"When will your babies arrive?" Mia asked as she looked at her sister's baby bump.

"A few months yet." Charlotte said.

"Are you scared?" Mia asked curiously.

"About the babies?"

"Yeah..."

"A little. But I'm also very excited." Charlotte smiled, just as the phone rang. "Urgh, don't they know we're too tired to answer?" She groaned but she got up to answer it anyway. "Hello?" She sighed.

"Charlotte?" A quiet voice said from the other end.

"April?" Charlotte perked up a bit. "Is that you?"

"Yeah it's me." April said quietly, sniffing slightly.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?" She said suddenly fully alert.

"The..uh..the police just called. They...they had to let Toby go." She said tremulously.

"What? Why?" Charlotte exclaimed. She saw Mia look up at her in surprise at her loud exclamation. She gave her a reassuring smile and then took the phone through to the kitchen. "What happened? Why have they let him go?"

"They said they didn't have enough evidence. I showered before I reported him so they couldn't get any DNA off me. And...well it's my word against his and he got a pretty good lawyer." She said quietly.

"Oh April, I'm so sorry..." Charlotte exclaimed. "Oh my god, it's my fault. I told you to shower. I should have known..."

"No, it's not your fault!" April said quickly. "I probably would have done it even if you weren't there."

"Well...what about your clothes? Surely they could be evidence?" Charlotte said.

"I stupidly washed them." April said quietly. "I wanted the smell off them. I'm an idiot!"

"No, no you're not an idiot, April." Charlotte sighed. "Oh April, I'm so sorry."

"I can't stay here. I can't stay at MIT, not with him being here. He's got everyone believing that I was lying. Everyone's turned against me." She sniffed.

"What about Jamie?" She asked.

"He's been great." April sighed. "But I know it's been hard on him as well."

"April..." She said softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put this all on you. I thought it was my dad's day off." She said.

"It was supposed to be but Caesar called in sick so he's had to go in." She explained.

"Oh." April said.

"Do you want me to get him to call you when he's back?"

"Yeah, if that's ok." She said quietly.

"Of course. I'm so sorry, April. If you need to talk at all, I'm here ok? I'm here for anything you need." Charlotte said softly.

"Thanks." April sniffed. "Bye."

"Bye." Charlotte sighed and hung up the phone.

* * *

"Ok, tomorrow I'm treating you ok? You're not paying for anything." Rory said as she lay down, snuggled up to Sam, on the back of the boat, looking up at the blue sky as Sam had hired someone to drive the boat around for them.

"Deal." Sam smirked.

Rory glanced over at him. "Today has been amazing." She said softly. "What have I done to deserve you?"

"I think the question is what have I done to deserve you." Sam said softly, giving her a kiss. "You changed my life, Rory. I wanted to show you how much I love you."

Rory blinked back tears. "I've really missed you." She said sincerely, snuggling even closer to him. "I can't wait to marry you."

Sam smiled at that. "Ditto." He said softly, holding her close.

"I wish today didn't have to end." Rory sighed, closing her eyes.

"Me too." He said softly, closing his eyes too, the two of them just taking in the sun and savouring the moment.

* * *

Charlotte looked up from the couch as Luke returned home. "Hey Luke."

"Hey, thanks for today." Luke said.

"Daddy!" Mia said excitedly getting up and rushing over to give him a hug.

"Hey princess." Luke smiled. "Have you been good for your sister?"

"We've been baking!" Mia grinned.

Luke looked at Charlotte. "You've been baking?" He smirked.

"She was very persuasive." Charlotte said. "Don't worry, I followed the recipes and didn't mess up your kitchen." She teased.

Luke smirked. "Good." He said. "Right, well I'm going to get dinner going. You staying for food?" He asked her.

"Sure, if that's ok." Charlotte smiled.

"Of course. You're always welcome, you know that." He smiled before disappearing off into the kitchen.

Charlotte glanced at Mia who was engrossed into the tv show again so she slowly got up and followed him. "Hey Luke, have you heard from April?" She asked.

"April? No, why?" He said.

Charlotte sighed. "She rang earlier. They let Toby go." She said quietly.

"What?" Luke exclaimed.

"Not enough evidence or something." Charlotte said. "I'm so sorry, Luke. I was the one to tell April to shower. I shouldn't have. I should have known! Jess wanted her to go and report it straight away but I told her to go shower. I'm an idiot."

Luke sighed. "It's not your fault. You didn't know." He assured her.

"But if I hadn't told her to shower..."

"He may have still got off. You're going to drive yourself crazy with the what ifs so don't." He said.

Charlotte sighed. "She wants to leave MIT..."

"Ah geez..." Luke said rubbing his hand through his hair.

"We need to fix this. He can't get away with it. He just can't!" Charlotte exclaimed, blinking back tears.

"I know." Luke said. "Hey, come here." He said pulling her in for a hug. "Don't blame yourself ok? We'll fix this."

"I feel like I've let her down." She admitted.

"You could never let April down." He said softly. "You've been great to her. I know how much she's appreciated your support."

"I know but..."

"Ok no more talk about what ifs. We need to think about how to go forward for April. I won't let this monster get away with it, don't worry." Luke said. "I'll think of something."

"Ok." Charlotte said quietly.

"You stir this while I go give April a ring ok?" He said.

Charlotte nodded. "I am sorry, Luke." She said quietly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Luke said softly before disappearing off to call April.

* * *

Charlotte returned home to find Jess on the couch watching some tv. "Hey.." She said tiredly.

"Hey." He said. "How are you doing?" He asked, having heard about what had happened with April.

Charlotte just shrugged. "I just can't keep thinking about April." She admitted, collapsing down next to him.

"Yeah.." He sighed, pulling her close. "It'll sort itself out."

"But how? It's her word against his." Charlotte said. "It's so unfair! He's going to get away with it, I just know it."

"People like him always end up getting caught. April will get justice." Jess assured her.

"I really hope so." She said. She sighed and glanced over at him. "So how was your day with TJ and Doula?"

"Yeah, good." Jess nodded.

"Good? That's all I'm getting?" Charlotte said smirking slightly.

"It was nice." Jess smirked. "TJ and I had a nice talk, the kids had fun, it was good." He said.

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "Is Jack asleep?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"I think I'll just go in and give him a kiss and then I think I might retire to bed. You going to join me?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." He nodded getting up. "I'll meet you in there."

"Ok." Charlotte said walking towards Jack's room. "Hey Jess?" She said turning round.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She said softly.

Jess smiled. "I love you too." He said softly.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you all think! Thanks again for all your support! it really does mean so much to me. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter! Sorry it's a bit shorter but it does have a cliffhanger at the end. ;)**

Chapter 19

"Ok what's wrong now?" Jess said as he glanced over at Sam for the fifth time that morning. "You've seen Rory, you've said you had an amazing time, why are you still moping?"

"What?" Sam said coming out of his daze.

"Seriously, what's going on with you?" Jess said confused. "I thought you'd come back all happy. I thought you had a good time."

"I did!" Sam said. "It was great to see her and we had such a good time."

"Then why are you still moping?" He asked.

"I'm not. I'm just thinking." Sam admitted. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"Thinking about what?"

"Oh, it's nothing important. I promise you have my full attention." Sam said.

"Come on, you forget I know you. What's going on?" Jess said.

Sam sighed. "Rory's having such a good time out there. Yeah she hasn't made too many friends yet but she will. It's still early and she's been really busy with her work. But she's loving it."

"Ok..." Jess said confused. "Isn't that good?"

"Yeah, I'm glad she's enjoying it and it's going well. It's just...what if they want her to stay longer? What if they want her permanently?" Sam said. "They'd be a fool not to want her. But...I don't think I could keep living here while she's over there." He admitted.

"Ok..." Jess said slowly. "So what are you saying? You want to go out there permanently with her?"

Sam sighed. "I don't know." He said honestly. "All I know is that I miss her and I don't think I could cope with being without her for so long." He admitted. "Go on, tell me I'm pathetic." He said.

"You're not pathetic." Jess said. "I get it. If that was Charlotte out there and I was here, I know I'd struggle. Geez I struggled when she was at Yale and I was in Philadelphia and that was just for a couple of months." He glanced at his best friend. "You should do what you want to do."

Sam glanced over at him. "I made a commitment to you. This bookstore..."

"Shouldn't be your priority. If you want to be with Rory, I'll respect that." Jess said.

"I couldn't just leave you, I made a commitment to you and this place." Sam shook his head.

"Yeah and you made a commitment to Rory for life." Jess pointed out. "She trumps me any day."

"Jess..." Sam said.

"If you want to be with her, be with her. I won't hold it against you. And if you do end up coming back, your job will always be here." Jess said.

"I knew there was a reason you were my best mate." Sam said.

"Yeah whatever." Jess rolled his eyes.

"No seriously, you're the greatest, Jess. Seriously." Sam said sincerely. "I haven't made any decisions yet anyway. I honestly was just thinking."

"Well when you do, you don't need to worry about me." Jess said.

"Thanks." He said sincerely. "That really is a weight off my shoulders."

Jess glanced over at him. "I will miss you though."

"I'll miss you too." Sam said.

* * *

"So Sam is seriously going to pack up and go and live with Rory in London?" Charlotte asked surprised. "Just like that?"

"There's nothing keeping him here." Jess shrugged.

"That's not true. There's you." Charlotte said. "Jack come on! We're going to be late!" She called through to his room.

"I told him it was cool. If I was in his position, I'd want to be with you." Jess said.

"Well I think you're the best friend." Charlotte smiled.

"He would do the same for me." He shrugged. "Besides, I think this weekend has made him realise just how much he misses Rory."

"Yeah, it must be tough." She conceded. "Come on Jack!" She called.

"Ready!" Jack said appearing into the living room.

"So do you know what this meal is for?" Jess said. "It's a bit sudden, isn't it?"

"I think they just want to have dinner with us. It's been a while since we've all hung out." Charlotte said.

"True but I bet there's a reason." Jess said smirking slightly.

"You're too suspicious." Charlotte laughed. "Come on, we better go!" She said.

* * *

An hour later and they were all sat down at the table at the Crap Shack eating the meal Luke had cooked.

"So there was something we wanted to run past you." Lorelai said.

Jess gave Charlotte a triumphant look. "Told you." He smirked.

"Shut up." Charlotte smirked.

"Your mom has invited us all on a trip." Lorelai told Jess.

"What kind of trip?" Jess said cynically.

"We don't have to go." Luke said.

"No, you just don't want to leave the diner but it will be fine with Caesar and Lane in charge." Lorelai said. "And maybe we could invite April along on the trip as well? Give her a distraction."

Luke did look up at that. "I guess it could be good for her to get away for a bit." He conceded.

"Exactly!" Lorelai smiled.

"So where's the trip to?" Charlotte asked.

"To the Danes cabin." Lorelai said. "But they've done a whole extension on it so there's plenty of space. The guys can go fishing and the girls can sunbathe. What do you say? Want to join us?"

Charlotte looked at Jess. "It has been ages since we've had a weekend away. It could be fun. And Jack could see the cabin for the first time." She said. "I mean, the bookstore will be ok, won't it? Sam can take care of it this weekend yet. I mean, he's not going..." She started.

"Yeah the bookstore will be fine." Jess interrupted her quickly. He didn't want Sam's plans out yet in case Sam had planned to tell them.

"Well then?" Charlotte prompted.

"Yeah sure why not?" Jess shrugged.

Charlotte grinned. "It will be our first big family holiday! You can bond more with TJ as well." She teased.

"Oh joy." Jess said dryly.

"So we're going?" Lorelai checked.

"We're going." Charlotte grinned.

"Great!" She grinned. "Now go call April and invite her and then call Liz to tell her we're in."

"Can't I eat first?" Luke said. He saw Lorelai just looking at him. "Obviously not then." He said getting up. "Geez.."

"Thanks hon!" Lorelai grinned after him. "Now where were we?"

"Jack got full marks on his spelling test at school..." Charlotte said.

* * *

On the Friday afternoon, Liz and TJ had arrived with a mini van that they had hired so that they could all drive together. Luke had grudgingly agreed to be the driver and they set off after they'd collected Jack and Mia from school. Luke and Lorelai were sat at the front, Liz was sat in the next row with TJ and Doula, Jess was sat in the next row with Mia and Jack, and Charlotte and April, who was happy to have a distraction from everything and had been able to make it, was sat in the two seats right at the back.

They were about an hour into the drive and it was starting to get darker. They were nearing the end of their journey and were driving down a windy one-way country road surrounded by trees and steep decline on one side of them, when suddenly blinding lights came speeding towards them.

"Geez!" Luke exclaimed.

"Luke, watch out!" Lorelai screamed.

Luke jerked his steering wheel to the left to try and avoid the vehicle but he lost control and he clipped a tree which sent them hurtling down the steep ditch on one side of them. Luke desperately tried to regain control of the mini van but he clipped another tree which sent the vehicle flipping onto its side, flipping over as it rolled down the decline. Everyone's screams could be heard until they weren't and the mini van was flipped on its side at the bottom of the ditch.

 **Sorry again for the shortness but I wanted to end with this cliffhanger as I want you to want more! I hope you don't hate me too much! ;) Thanks again for your continued support, it really does mean so much to me so please keep the reviews coming! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you so much for your support for the last chapter! Here's the next one! :) Btw, when I said it was a minivan I have it in my mind that it was like a minibus so there are doors at the back. :) Sorry it's not a long chapter again but I had in my mind how I wanted to end it. I promise the next one will be bigger. :)**

Chapter 20

Luke slowly opened his eyes and he slowly took in what had happened. The mini van was still on its side. He looked up at Lorelai who had her eyes closed. "Lorelai?" He said. He breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes fluttered open. "Are you hurt?" He asked.

"Wh..what happened?" Lorelai said shakily bringing her hand to her head which was pounding.

"We've been in an accident." Luke said. "Are you hurt?"

"I...I don't think so. My head's pounding though." She said tremulously. She glanced at him with tears in her eyes. "Have you checked on everyone else?"

"Not yet." Luke said swallowing a lump in his throat.

"Luke..." A familiar voice said from near the back of the minivan.

"Jess?" Luke called. "Are you ok? Is everybody ok?" He asked managing to get his seatbelt off, falling to the bottom of the minivan. He winced as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder but he ignored it. He then helped Lorelai get free and helped her down. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" He asked her again.

"I don't think so." She said shakily.

"Charlotte won't wake up!" Jess suddenly called.

"I'm coming!" Luke called, his heart sinking. "Come on, we can get out through the back doors." He told Lorelai.

They slowly made it to the next row where they were shocked to see Liz already on the floor and TJ over her trying to wake her up. "She wasn't wearing a seatbelt. She won't wake up." TJ said desperately.

"Liz? Liz, can you hear me?" Luke said worried, as Lorelai helped Doula and Mia out of their chairs and comforted them, who luckily looked like they only had a few cuts and bruises.

"Luke..." Lorelai said tremulously.

Luke glanced at them and saw that Doula and Mia were in tears. "Get them out. And then call for an ambulance." He instructed.

"But..."

"We'll get Liz and Charlotte out." Luke told her. "I promise."

Lorelai blinked back tears and nodded before making her way towards the back.

"Take Jack." Jess said, already having managed to get him free.

"I don't feel good." Jack said quietly, before suddenly throwing up.

"Jack!" Jess said suddenly worried. His son had looked fine. He didn't think there was anything wrong.

"I'll get him out. Some fresh air might be good for him." Lorelai said. "I'll call an ambulance as well." She said glancing over at her daughter who still had her eyes closed.

"I'll get her out." Jess promised.

"I know you will." Lorelai said before glancing at April who had still not woken up either. "April?" She said.

Jess glanced over at his cousin, kicking himself for not checking on her. "April?" He said concerned as he saw blood trickling from her head. "April?" He said desperately. He let out a breath when she suddenly groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "April, it's ok. We've been in an accident." He said softly.

"My...my head's bleeding." April said shakily.

"Here." Jess said taking off his jumper. "Keep pressure on it ok?" He said getting her free.

"Arghh!" April said as she suddenly felt pain shoot through her arm.

"What? What hurts?" Jess said quickly.

"My arm." She said tearfully.

"Ok, try not to move it." Jess said. "Go with Lorelai. The ambulance will be here soon."

"Wh...where's dad?" April said shakily.

"He's with Liz and TJ. Uh...Liz wasn't wearing her seatbelt." Lorelai said quietly.

"Wait what?" Jess said glancing at her. "She's ok though right?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's tough." Lorelai tried to assure him. She led the kids and April out and immediately rang for an ambulance.

"Charlotte?" Jess tried to wake his wife again. "Charlotte, please wake up!" He begged, feeling tears prick his eyes. There was no answer though. He wanted to get her out but he knew better than to move her when he didn't know what was wrong. He'd checked her pulse straight away so he knew she was at least alive.

Suddenly they heard Lorelai scream from outside. "Luke, Jess, get out! There's petrol pouring out!" She exclaimed terrified.

Luke and TJ exchanged a worried look before Luke picked up his sister in his arms. "Come on." He told TJ, ignoring the agony of his shoulder.

"Please help!" Jess exclaimed as they passed. "Charlotte still won't wake up. I'm worried about moving her." He said in a state.

TJ glanced at Jess and then back at Luke. "You get Liz and yourself out. You didn't fool me with your shoulder injury."

"I'm fine." Luke said.

"Go. I'll help Jess." TJ insisted. He took one last glance at his wife in Luke's arms before Luke relented and carried her out. He turned back to Jess wincing as he did.

"You're hurt too." Jess noticed.

"Not as much as Luke. It's just my ankle." He told him. "We need to get Charlotte out of her seat. Come on, help ease her down while I release the seat belt."

"But what if we make her worse, moving her." Jess said.

"If we stay in here, all of us might not get out." TJ pointed out. "We need to get out."

Jess hesitated before nodding, helping him get Charlotte down and between them they managed to carry her out just as the van went up in flames. Jess stared back in shock as he realised TJ had been right.

"Are you ok?" TJ said softly.

"What?" Jess said still in shock.

"Are you ok? You're not hurt, are you?" He checked.

"Uh..no...no I'm fine." Jess said quietly before looking down at Charlotte. "Charlotte?" He tried again but to no avail. Jess glanced up as TJ rushed off to be by his mom's side. It was then that he saw the state his mom was in.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as sirens were heard and several ambulances suddenly appeared from view.

* * *

"Hey..."

Jess looked up from where he was sat in the waiting room at the hospital to see TJ. "Hey..." He said quietly.

"Any news?" He asked.

Jess just shook his head. "They're doing tests."

"Same with your mom." TJ sighed sitting down next to him. "Your uncle's finally agreed to get checked out."

"Good." Jess said. "How are the kids?" He asked.

"They're fine. Cuts and bruises but that's it." TJ said. "Lorelai's taken them to get some chocolate. They're still in shock, I think."

Jess nodded, relieved to hear that.

"How about April?"

"Uh...she's ok." Jess said. "They did some scans and there's nothing that worries them so they think she might just have a bit of concussion. The bleeding's stopped. She's fractured her arm so they're putting her in a sling but she's ok."

"That's good news." TJ let out a breath.

"Yeah." Jess said. "I actually said I'd go and see her..." He said getting up.

"Of course, you go." He said.

Jess glanced at him. "Thanks." He said gruffly. "For helping with Charlotte. I couldn't have done it myself."

"I never would have left you." TJ said. "Your mom would have killed me."

Jess smiled slightly before he faltered. "They are going to be ok, isn't she? Mom and Charlotte..."

"They're tough." TJ said. "They'll get through this." He assured him. Jess nodded at him and TJ watched him disappear from view before putting his head in his hands. He didn't want to show it in front of Jess but he knew it wasn't looking good for Liz. He just hoped the doctors could perform a miracle.

* * *

A doctor turned the corner and saw a group of people sat together in the waiting room. He counted three adults, a teenager and three kids. He hesitated for a moment before walking up to them. "Are you the family of Liz Danes?" He asked.

* * *

A doctor turned the corner and saw a guy sat in the seat with his head in his hands. He hesitated for a moment before walking up to him. "Are you Charlotte Mariano's husband?" He asked.

 **I know, I'm sorry! But I've got to have you wanting more! :P I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter! :) Now I'm not a medical expert so please be kind! :P**

Chapter 21

The doctor glanced at the kids who were looking at him and hesitated. "Is it possible to talk in private?" He asked TJ.

"Uh..sure." TJ said feeling a pit of dread in his stomach.

"It's not good news, is it?" Luke said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"I think it's best we talk in private." The doctor said kindly.

"Please just tell me. I'm her brother!" Luke pleaded.

"Hey April, why don't you take the kids to get something to drink?" Lorelai suggested realising the doctor didn't want to say anything in front of little ears.

April noticed the seriousness of the situation and nodded, getting up and leading them away.

"Liz is ok, isn't she?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm really sorry." The doctor said. "We did everything we could. We had to take her into emergency surgery but...there was nothing we could do. I'm really sorry." He said sympathetically.

"She's dead..." Luke said in shock.

"We did everything we could do. But she was bleeding internally and there was nothing we could do to stop it." The doctor said. "I really am sorry for your loss. I'll be around if you have any questions at all and we can help you with what happens next. I'll give you all a minute."

"Wait!" Lorelai suddenly said. "I'm sorry but do you know anything about Charlotte Mariano?"

"Are you family?" He asked.

"I'm her mom." She said.

* * *

"Did you hear what I said?" The doctor said kindly.

"Sorry, what?" Jess said glancing up at her.

"Did you hear what I told you? I know it's a big shock." She said.

"How could you have delivered the babies? She's only 6 months!" Jess said in shock.

"Baby." The doctor said softly. "You understood that very sadly we lost one of your daughters?"

"Yeah..." Jess said quietly, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I don't get it. It's far too early."

"If we didn't get them out now, both the babies and your wife would have been in serious danger of dying." She explained. "We needed to do the emergency c-section."

"Charlotte's ok?" Jess checked.

"She's getting ready for recovery but we're confident she will make a full recovery." The doctor assured him.

Jess let out a breath. "You're sure?"

"We're very confident, yes." She nodded.

"And...and our daughters, I mean, daughter?" He said, his voice cracking.

"She's critical." The doctor said honestly. "But she's a fighter. She's still with us."

"Can...can I see them?" Jess asked quietly.

"Charlotte will be in recovery soon but you're welcome to come and see your daughter while you wait for her." The doctor said.

Jess nodded and he numbly followed her as she led the way for him.

* * *

Luke looked through the window where he saw Jess standing next to the incubator where his and Charlotte's daughter was fighting for her life. He knew he had to tell Jess about Liz but it was so unfair. Jess had been through so much that day and he knew this would break him. TJ had offered to tell him but Luke knew he had the hardest part at having to tell Doula so he offered to tell Jess for him. But now he was standing here, he was regretting that decision. Lorelai had found out what had happened with Charlotte and everyone was shocked about that as well and he felt so much for his nephew. He lost his sister today but Jess lost so much more. He lost a daughter and he lost a mom. He was about to walk away when Jess looked up and spotted him. Luke took a deep breath as Jess slowly made his way out to see him.

"You heard then?" Jess said quietly.

"Lorelai found out." Luke said. "I'm so sorry, Jess."

Jess blinked away some tears. "She's so tiny." He said quietly.

"But she's still with us. That's the main thing." Luke pointed out.

"She shouldn't be here at all though! She wasn't ready!" Jess said.

Luke sighed. "From what I've heard, she's a fighter. Have you seen Charlotte yet? I think Lorelai's itching to see her."

"I was going to go now. I've just been told she's been wheeled in to recovery." Jess said.

"She's going to be ok though, right?" Luke checked.

"They said so, yeah."

"That's good." Luke said.

"Have you heard anything about Liz?" Jess asked.

Luke's heart sank. He was dreading this question. "Uh...yeah...we have." He said.

Jess noticed the look on his face and suddenly felt that something was wrong. "What's happened?" He said.

Luke knew he had to just tell him. "I'm really sorry, Jess. They did everything they could to save her." He said, blinking back tears himself.

"She died...?" Jess said shocked.

"I'm so sorry." Luke said again.

Jess saw TJ turn the corner. "This is all your fault!" He exclaimed angrily.

"I...was going to come and help you tell Jess but I'm guessing you already have..." TJ said glancing at Luke and then back at Jess. "Jess..."

"No! If you had never met her, we never would have been playing happy families and we never would have been here in the first place!" Jess exclaimed.

"Jess, that's not fair..." Luke said.

"I don't care! Life's not fair!" Jess snapped.

"We're all grieving, Jess." TJ said. "But we're family. We need to stick together. More now than ever."

"You're no family to me." Jess shook his head. "You're not even close! This is all your fault! I will never forgive you for this!"

"Hey! That's enough!" Luke said loudly. "If it was anyone's fault, it was mine! I was the one driving." He said.

"Then it's both of your faults! I've lost my daughter and my mom today! And I could have lost my wife and my other daughter as well! Can you even imagine how that feels?" Jess exclaimed angrily.

"No I don't! But we've all lost someone today!" Luke exclaimed.

"Enough!" TJ exclaimed. "What happened today was noone's fault!" He said, glancing at Luke. "It was an accident and if Liz was here right now, she would have told you the same." He said firmly. He looked at Jess. "I'm really sorry you feel the way you do but I have to go off and tell your sister that her mom's never coming back. I know she's going to need her big brother for support and I really hope you still want to be there for her. If I had never met your mom, yes maybe this wouldn't have happened, but who knows what else could have happened." He said. "We're all grieving." He repeated. "So why don't we all stick together rather than tearing lumps out of each other?"

Jess just shook his head and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Luke exclaimed.

"To see Charlotte!" Jess shouted before disappearing from view.

Luke sighed and glanced at TJ. "I'm sorry..."

TJ sighed. "He's hurting. I get that."

"He'll calm down, I'm sure of it." Luke assured him.

"I can't worry about that right now. I need to go talk to Doula." He sighed.

"Do you want some help?" Luke offered.

TJ gave him a small smile. "Thanks. But I think this is something I should do."

Luke nodded in understanding. "Anything you two need, I'm here ok? Me and Lorelai."

"Thanks Luke." TJ said gratefully. He went to walk away before turning back round. "It was an accident what happened today. Don't blame yourself ok?"

"Thanks." Luke said gruffly.

* * *

"Jess, I'm so sorry..." Charlotte said quietly after Jess had filled her in on everything that had happened.

"I'm just glad I'm here talking to you right now." Jess said quietly, taking hold of her hand. "You gave me such a fright."

"Sorry.." Charlotte sniffed.

"No, it's not your fault." Jess said quickly. "It's just...it's really good to hear your voice right now."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save our other daughter..." She said tremulously.

"Hey..." He said softly. "That isn't your fault."

"I feel responsible." She admitted.

Jess sighed. "You couldn't have done anything. The doctors did everything they did. We just need to focus on her sister."

"Have you seen her?" She asked.

"Yeah..." He said quietly.

"What's she like?" She sniffed.

"She's beautiful." Jess said honestly. "Just like you."

"She is going to be ok, isn't she?" Charlotte said worried.

Jess swallowed a lump in her throat. "She's a fighter. We just have to hope she fights through this. She's in the best place."

Charlotte nodded. "I really want to see her. But they said I should rest first."

"You should." Jess said. "You won't be any use to her if you get ill as well."

"I know." She sighed. "I just...I need to see her."

Jess nodded understanding.

"We lost a daughter." She said tremulously.

"I know." Jess said blinking back tears. He leaned over and pulled her into a hug, holding her tight. "We'll get through this. Together."

"Together." She whispered. They pulled away after a moment and Charlotte glanced at him. "Are you going to talk to TJ?" She asked hesitantly.

"I can't think about him right now. I need to focus on you and our daughter." He said gruffly.

"And what about Doula?" Charlotte said softly. "Jess, she's 5 and she's just lost her mom."

"I've just lost my mom too!" He said.

"I know. That's why you need your sister and she needs you. You need each other." She said softly. She sighed. "You don't really blame TJ for all of this, do you?"

Jess sighed. "No." He admitted. "I just...all I heard was Liz had died and I just...I lost it. I don't even know why. Maybe everything that had happened had just got on top of me and I finally realised what had happened."

"That's understandable."

"I just...I don't know how to feel." He said honestly. He glanced at her. "But I am so relieved to be here talking to you right now."

"Hey, nothing's going to break us. I promise you that." She said. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Jess leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you so much." He said emotionally.

"I love you too." She said blinking back tears.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Lorelai poked her head round. "I'm sorry to interrupt but these ones couldn't wait any longer." She said as Jack and Mia rushed in.

"Mommy!" He exclaimed.

Charlotte's face lit up. "Hey sweetheart..." She said softly, accepting the hug from her son. She glanced up at her mom. "Hi mom..."

"Hey hon..." Lorelai said wiping some tears away. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"I think I'm going to get some fresh air." Jess said. "I won't be long." He told Charlotte.

"Ok." Charlotte said. "Tell her, her mommy can't wait to meet her ok?" She said knowing he would go see their daughter again.

"I will." Jess said softly, giving her another kiss and then leaving her with Lorelai, Jack and Mia.

He was planning to go see their daughter but he did need some fresh air first. He headed outside and tried to breathe in the fresh air. He immediately saw TJ and Doula sat outside on a bench though. He watched as TJ said something to Doula and she started crying before holding TJ close. He took a deep breath before slowly walking towards them and he could hear some of their conversation.

"I know it's going to be hard. But I promise you, we're going to get through this together, sweetheart." TJ said kissing the top of his daughter's head. "Your mommy will always be watching you though. I can promise you that."

"How?" Doula sniffed.

"Are you kidding? Do you think she'd miss any of your life?" TJ said.

"I miss her already." She sniffed.

TJ swallowed a lump in his throat. "So do I." He said honestly. "So do I." He said pulling her close.

"You won't leave as well will you?" Doula asked quietly.

"No. You will never lose me." TJ assured her. "It's you and me forever, kid. I can promise you that."

"And me." Jess said making his presence known.

"Jess!" Doula said getting up and launching herself at him.

"Hey.." He said softly, holding his sister close.

"Mommy's never coming back." She said tears falling down her cheeks again.

"I know." Jess said feeling tears prick his eyes as well. He glanced over at TJ. "But you've got one awesome dad. You remember that, yeah?"

Doula sniffed but nodded.

"And you'll always have me ok?" Jess promised. He glanced at TJ again. "Even when your brother says..uh..stupid things sometimes. Things he doesn't mean." He said.

"Who doesn't?" TJ said, nodding at him, recognising his apology.

"I will always be here for you ok? Whenever you need me." Jess told Doula. He glanced at TJ. "Family stick together right?" He said gruffly.

"Right." TJ nodded, giving him a small smile.

* * *

Jess was stood by the incubator, looking down at his daughter. "You need to fight, little one, ok? Because you've got a mom and dad who love you so much already. Just keep fighting ok?" He said blinking back tears. He suddenly felt a presence next to him and looked up to see Luke stood next to him. He wiped away some tears. "I'm sorry about earlier." He said quietly.

"Don't." Luke said. "You were hurting. You just found out your mom had died."

"You'd just found out your sister had died." Jess pointed out. "I could have been more...I just shouldn't have snapped like that. You lost your sister today."

Luke swallowed a lump in his throat. "Yeah. I did." He said quietly. "But you've lost a daughter as well as your mom. And you could have lost Charlotte and this little one as well. This day has been much harder on you." He glanced at his nephew who he could see was fighting tears now. "You know, you don't have be strong in front of me. I get that you want to be with Charlotte but you don't have to with me. I know what it's like to lose a mom..." He said softly.

Jess furiously tried to blink back his tears. "You know, when I was younger, I wished mom would just go away and never come back. I always thought it would be better for me if that happened. How awful is that? I actually wished my own mom dead." He admitted.

"You've been through a lot." Luke said softly. "Jess, you're not a horrible person. You need to believe me on that."

"We were good." Jess said his voice finally cracking. "We were finally good and then...and then everything goes wrong. She's gone and I lost a daughter and I could have lost Charlotte and...and..." He said finally letting the tears fall. "Why? Why does it always have to happen to me? Is it karma? Is it karma for everything bad I've done?"

"No, none of this is your fault, Jess." Luke said blinking back tears. "Come here." He said pulling Jess into him. "It's going to be ok." He tried to reassure him.

"Why is it always me?" Jess sniffed and he finally let his emotions out as he sobbed on his uncle's shoulder. "Why does it always happen to me?"

"It's ok." Luke said, feeling tears fall down his cheeks as well, comforting Jess. "It's going to be ok." He said softly.

* * *

Later that night, Jess was sat next to Charlotte. He had refused to go home. "I know we hadn't really thought of names yet but I actually have an idea..." Jess said nervously.

"Yeah?" Charlotte said. "What?"

Jess hesitated before glancing at her. "How about...Lizzie?" He said nervously.

Charlotte smiled at that. "Lizzie Mariano." She said softly. "I like it."

"You do?" Jess said.

Charlotte took hold of his hand. "I think your mom would be honoured as well."

Jess ducked his head slightly. "I just liked the name." He said.

"Well so do I." She smiled softly. She let out a big breath. "We're going to be ok, aren't we?"

"Always." Jess said sincerely. "Right now, you, Jack and Lizzie are the only ones keeping me going. I love you."

"I love you too." Charlotte said softly. "Come lie with me." She said.

"Is that allowed?" Jess said.

"Since when have rules stopped Jess Mariano?" She said smirking slightly.

Jess had to smile at that. "Good point." He smirked as he got up on the bed carefully, next to Charlotte, holding her close. That was how the nurses found them in the morning, in the same position, fast asleep.

 **So I hope you liked it! I was really nervous about this chapter so I hope it was worth the wait! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think and they really are what keeps me writing so thank you! :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you so much for your continued support! It really does mean so much to me and it's what motivates me to continue writing so thank you! :) Just a heads up that this may be the last update for a week. The next two days at work are going to be really busy for me and then I'm going away for the weekend on Friday until Monday so probably won't be able to write until Tuesday, sorry! I hope you'll all stay with me though. :) Here's the next chapter to hopefully satisfy you until next week. :)**

Chapter 22

"Come in!" Charlotte called as there was a knock on her hospital room door the following day. She was expecting the nurse with her lunch but she was surprised when she saw who it actually was.

"Have you got time for another visitor?" A familiar voice said.

"Wha...What are you doing here?" She asked stunned.

"Do you really think I'd be able to concentrate in London when my sister's going through something terrible here?" Rory said.

Charlotte blinked back tears. "I've missed you, sis." She said quietly.

"I've missed you too." Rory said tremulously, rushing forward and giving her sister a hug. "And I'm so so sorry."

"Thank you." Charlotte said quietly. "How did you get here so quickly?"

"Mom rang me last night and told me what had happened. I rang work and explained the situation to them and they were really understanding and told me to take some time off and spend it with you guys. So then I booked the first flight back here." Rory said. "Where's Jess?" She asked looking round.

"With Lizzie." Charlotte said.

"Lizzie?" Rory said confused.

"Oh...yeah...We decided to name our daughter Lizzie. It was Jess' suggestion." Charlotte smiled softly.

"After Liz..." Rory said understanding.

"Yeah."

"How's he doing?" She asked.

Charlotte sighed. "You know what he's like. He hides how he's really feeling. I know he's struggling but he feels like he has to be strong in front of me."

"Yeah." Rory sighed. "I can't imagine what he's going through. I mean, it could have been mom..." She said quietly.

Charlotte glanced up at her. "I know." She said quietly.

"So how is Lizzie?" Rory asked.

"Still critical." Charlotte said tremulously. "I just...I lost one daughter. I can't lose the other." She said, tears falling down her face.

"Hey, come here." Rory said bringing her in for another hug. "She'll be fine. She's your and Jess' daughter. That means she's definitely a fighter."

"I hope so." She sniffed. "I really hope so."

* * *

"Hey, so Rory's already at the hospital with Charlotte. I've dropped Jack and Mia off at my mom and dad's. They said they'll visit Charlotte after us." Lorelai said as she poked her head round their bedroom door. "You ready to go?" She asked.

"I..uh..I think I might give it a miss." Luke said hesitantly, sat on the bed.

"What? Why?" Lorelai said confused.

"Rory's just got back. She'll want to see you. And I'm sure Charlotte probably just needs her mom right now." He said.

Lorelai frowned. "Ok what's going on?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He said, glancing over at her.

"Why are you avoiding the hospital?" She said.

"I'm not."

"Yes you are." Lorelai said. "Why? Jess needs you right now and Charlotte and Rory will want to see you as well."

"They won't mind." Luke said gruffly.

"Luke..."

"Just go."

"You're being stupid! Your nephew needs you more than ever now and you're the one who always says that family is everything so why are you abandoning your own now?" She exclaimed, not understanding.

"Because why the hell would Jess want me there when I killed his mom?!" Luke exclaimed. "I'm the reason Liz is dead and I'm the reason Charlotte and Jess lost their daughter! Why would they want to see me?"

Lorelai's face softened. "Oh Luke..." She said softly, going to sit next to him. "It was an accident..."

"I was driving." He said gruffly.

"Yes but anyone could have been driving. It could have happened to anyone. You weren't to know. It was an accident, Luke. No one blames you. Least of all, Jess." She said softly.

Luke swallowed a lump in his throat. "My sister's gone..." He said quietly.

"I know." Lorelai said blinking back her own tears. "But if she was here today, she would be the first to tell you to stop blaming yourself. And what do you think she would want you to do?" She said softly.

Luke glanced at her. "Look out for Jess..."

"Exactly." She said. "Jess needs you, Luke. And you need him right now as well. What happened was a tragic accident but it was an accident. Stop going through it in your head."

"I promised my dad I'd look out for her." Luke said quietly.

"And you did. You were an amazing brother to her and she would be the first to admit it." Lorelai said.

"I miss her." He admitted.

"I know you do." Lorelai said quietly. "I know you do." She said giving him a hug. "I'm here for you ok? Anything you need, I'm here for you." She said softly. "Now come on, let's get to that hospital."

Luke hesitated before slowly nodding. "Ok." He said quietly.

* * *

"So tell me, where could a girl find a really good book round here?" Rory joked as she walked into the bookstore.

"What the...What are you doing here?" Sam exclaimed.

"What, so you can do surprise visits but I can't?" She teased.

"No, I'm definitely not against surprise visits!" Sam smiled giving her a hug and leaning in for a kiss.

"Mom rang me last night." Rory said honestly. "I knew I had to be here. For Charlotte."

Sam nodded understanding. "I've been meaning to go to the hospital but I've had to man this place."

"Well I can help out for a bit if you want to go see Jess." Rory offered.

"Really?" He said.

"Of course. I think Jess could really do with his best mate at the moment." She said. "And..well..I guess you know what he's going through..." She said quietly.

"Yeah." Sam sighed. "You really don't mind?"

"Of course not. You go." Rory smiled softly, giving him a kiss.

"Thank you. I won't be long." Sam said softly.

"Take as much time as you need." She said.

* * *

Sam found Jess sat outside neonatal intensive care. He slowly walked up to him. "Hey..." He said softly.

"Oh..hey.." Jess said glancing up at him. "I'm just..uh.."

"Having a breather?" Sam guessed sitting down next to him.

"Yeah.." He said quietly.

"How's she doing?" He asked glancing towards the unit.

Jess shrugged. "She's still with us. She's fighting. But she's..uh..she's still critical." He said.

"I'm so sorry mate." Sam said. "How's Charlotte holding up?"

"She's...holding." Jess sighed. "I know she's hurting. I think we're both trying to be strong for each other."

Sam nodded. "I'm not Charlotte." He said quietly. He saw Jess glance at him. "I'm so sorry about your mom."

Jess felt a lump in his throat. "Thanks..." He just about managed to get out.

"I know what you're going through. If you want to talk at all..." Sam said.

"It's hardly the same." Jess said glancing at him. "My mom didn't give a crap about me for 19 years. Your dad...well he was the best dad you could have wished for. Me and my mom spent most of the time arguing. I resented her so much for so many years."

"Yes but you made it right with you. And...well, she was still your mom. So yeah, it might not be the same but it doesn't mean your loss is of any less significance than mine was." Sam said softly.

Jess glanced at Sam and blinked back tears. "She was my mom." He agreed.

Sam put his arm round his friend and pulled him towards him. "Do you remember what you said to me after my dad died?" He said.

"What?" Jess said.

"You told me that he would always be there because I have those happy memories." Sam said quietly. "You told me that he would be so proud of me and you told me that you would always be there for me if I ever needed to talk." He said. He glanced at Jess. "You were such a huge help. So I'm here for you, Jess. Whatever you need, I'm here."

"Thank you." Jess said gruffly.

* * *

"So...the doctor said I can go home tomorrow." Charlotte told Jess that evening.

"That's good." Jess said.

"Not that I will actually spend much time at home." She said quietly.

"Yeah.." Jess said quietly, knowing they would spend the majority of every day at the hospital with Lizzie.

"He mentioned how the hospital would be happy to offer a funeral...for...for our daughter...well, our other daughter..." Charlotte said her voice cracking. "Free of charge."

Jess swallowed a lump in his throat. "Ok..." He said glancing at her. "How do you feel about that?"

"I...I think I want to." Charlotte said. She glanced at him. "What about you?"

"I think I want to as well." Jess said quietly. "It would give us a chance to say goodbye."

"Yeah." She sniffed.

"Come here." Jess said pulling her into him for a hug. "We will get through this together."

Charlotte smiled tremulously. "Yeah. Together." She said. She glanced at him. "I was thinking we could call her Olivia." She said quietly. "I know we hadn't really thought of names yet but I've always liked that name. I was thinking Olivia Lorelai."

Jess gave her a small smile. "Olivia Lorelai Mariano. Yeah, I like it." He said softly.

"Really?"

"Really." He said.

"I love you, Jess." Charlotte sniffed, snuggling into him. "Please...please promise me you will never go anywhere."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm exactly where I want to be." Jess said kissing the side of her head. "I love you too."

* * *

"Surreal 48 hours..." Rory sighed as she sat down on the bed next to Sam in her old bedroom at the Crap Shack.

"You could say that again." Sam sighed. "Have I told you how good it is to see you?" He said softly.

"Numerous times." Rory smiled softly.

"Well it is." Sam sighed putting his arm round her and pulling her towards him. "It's times like these that you realise what's really important to you."

"Yeah..." Rory said quietly.

"And you are so important to me, Rory. I don't...I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you..." Sam said.

Rory blinked back tears. "Marry me." She said.

"What?" Sam said confused.

"Marry me." She repeated.

"Uh..have you forgotten that we're already engaged?" Sam chuckled slightly.

Rory smiled at that. "I know. But I want to marry you now. You were right. This has made me realise what is important in life as well. Who is important. And I love you so much, Sam. And I don't want to wait any longer." She said. "Work's going really well in London and..well, I don't know what the future might hold." She admitted. She glanced at him. "But I want to marry you and I don't want to wait to see what happens with work. I want to marry you here where all our friends and family can be there." She said. "What yesterday has shown me is that life's far too short to wait. So...what do you say?" She said glancing at him nervously.

"Are you being serious?" Sam said softly, smiling slightly.

Rory smiled softly. "I don't want to wait any longer. I want to be married to you and I want to be able to go back to London telling people I'm married. So what do you say? Are you in?"

Sam smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "I'm in." He said softly. "I'm so in."

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think. Thanks again for all your support and I'll see you all in about a week! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**So I've literally just landed back in the UK but I've been writing on the plane so here's the next chapter! :) Hope you're all still with me! :)**

Chapter 23

Lorelai and Luke arrived the following morning to pick up Charlotte and Jess and take them back to Stars Hollow. They had decided that they would stay at the Crap Shack for a few days before returning to their apartment. They arrived back to find Rory and Sam in the living room planning their spontaneous wedding.

"Hey!" Rory said getting up and going to give her sister a hug.

"Hey.." Charlotte gave her a small smile.

"Mommy, daddy!" A familiar voice exclaimed and Jack ran in.

"Hey sweetheart.." Charlotte smiled softly at their son.

"You going to be ok here for a bit? I promised this one I'd play some football with him in the square." Jess said squeezing Charlotte's shoulder.

"Of course. You go." Charlotte said softly. She knew they had not spent much time with Jack since the accident. It wasn't their fault, of course, as she was in hospital and they were spending most of their time with Lizzie but they had talked and they vowed to not let Jack feel left out at all.

"Ok. We won't be long." Jess said. "And then we can head back to see Lizzie together afterwards."

"Sounds good. Go. I'll be fine. Really." She assured him.

"Ok." Jess said.

Charlotte headed to her room and sat down on the bed, letting out a breath. After a moment she heard movement at the door and when she glanced over, she saw Luke standing their awkwardly.

"Hey.." She gave him a small smile.

"Hey.." Luke said hesitantly coming into her room. "How are you doing?" He asked before kicking himself. "Sorry, silly question." He said.

"I'm doing ok." Charlotte said.

Luke rubbed his hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte..."

"Thanks." She said quietly. She looked at him for a moment, noticing he was acting all weird. "Is something wrong?"

Luke glanced at her and then at the floor. "I'd get it if you hate me..." He said.

"What?" Charlotte said completely confused. "Why would I hate you?"

"Because I was driving. And because I was stupid enough to swerve right down the cliff when I could have gone the other way." He said.

"Luke..." Charlotte said softly.

"I wouldn't blame you and I'd understand..." Luke continued.

"Luke, I don't hate you!" She interrupted him.

Luke glanced at her. "You don't?" He said quietly.

"What happened was an accident. If anyone is to blame, it's the drunk driver who was driving the wrong way. He's the reason I lost my daughter, not you." She said.

"I still feel responsible." He admitted.

Charlotte sighed and got up, going over to him and giving him a hug. "Jess and I don't hate you." She assured him. "It was an accident." She glanced at him. "The..uh..hospital is holding a funeral for Olivia tomorrow." She said her voice cracking slightly. She glanced up at him. "Jess and I would really like it if you were there."

Luke felt his voice hitch a bit. "Of course." He said. "I'll be there." He said holding her close.

"Thanks." Charlotte said blinking back tears.

"I'm still so sorry." Luke said his voice hitching slightly.

"Thanks." Charlotte said quietly hugging him tightly. She glanced up at him. "And I'm sorry about Liz. If you need any help with funeral stuff at all, I'm here."

Luke was touched at her generosity and thoughtfulness, especially with what she was going through at the moment. "Thanks but I think I've got it. TJ obviously wants to help so I think we'll be good together." He said.

"Ok well if you need anything..."

"You're an amazing kid, you know that right?" Luke said.

Charlotte gave him a tremulous smile. "Well you're a pretty amazing step dad. So stop thinking you're not and get those other thoughts out your head as well." She said.

"Ok." He said quietly, just as Rory appeared at the door.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt..." She said.

"You're not." Luke assured her. "I'll leave you to it." He told them before walking off.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jess was kicking a ball around in the square with Jack. He smiled as he watched his son run after a stray ball. He sighed as he thought about how him and Charlotte had sidelined Jack a bit the past couple of days. It hadn't been intentional, of course, but they had felt bad when they realised just how much time they had spent with their son over the 48 hours.

"Daddy?" Jack said, bringing him out of his daze.

"Yeah?" Jess said looking over at his son who was standing nervously with the ball.

"Is...is it my fault?" He asked quietly.

Jess frowned. "Is what your fault?"

"Is it because I said I didn't want sisters? Because I didn't mean it!" Jack said, fighting back tears now.

Jess was shocked. Did their son honestly believe this was all his fault? "Ok stop. Come here." He said softly. Jack nervously went over to him and Jess knelt down and took hold of his hands. "Jack, none of this is your fault." He said.

"But...but I said I didn't want sisters and now you and mommy lost one of your babies and the other is really sick!" Jack sniffed. "I don't want you and mommy to hate me. I...I didn't mean what I said about sisters and I...I promise to be the best big brother!" He cried.

Jess' heart wrenched listening to his son. "Jack, your mommy and I could never hate you. What happened was an accident. An awful accident but an accident. It was no one's fault." Jess said softly. "And you don't need to promise to be the best big brother because we both already know you will be." He said.

"You don't hate me?" Jack sniffed.

"Never." Jess said pulling his son into a hug. "Never." He repeated.

* * *

"So...how are the wedding plans going?" Charlotte asked as they both sat on her bed.

"Yeah..uh..ok." Rory said hesistantly. "We don't want anything fancy. Just a small ceremony with all of you guys there." She said.

"Sounds nice." Charlotte said.

Rory glanced at her. "We don't have to do it now if you don't feel like it..." she said hesitantly.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"Well..uh..you're going through a lot at the moment, you and Jess. I don't want you to think we're rubbing our happiness in your face because that's not what we're doing. We don't want you to think..." Rory said quickly.

"Rory, stop." Charlotte said. "I really need something happy to look forward to at the moment and Jess and I couldn't be happier for you and Sam. This wedding is exactly what our family needs at the moment." She smiled softly. "I'm really happy for you." She said sincerely.

Rory let out a breath. "Thanks Charlie." She said softly. "You'll be my maid of honour right?"

Charlotte gave her a tremulous smile. "I'd be honoured." She said giving her sister a hug.

"Rory, Charlotte, door!" They suddenly heard Sam call from the living room.

They wandered through and were surprised to see who it was. "Dad!" Charlotte said surprised.

"I know! I know it's been a few days since the accident and I know you probably think it's lame that I chose to turn up now and not earlier and I'm really sorry because I promised you that I'd be a better dad to you. And I know you'll probably think it's the same old excuse but I had this really important presentation at work. I tried so hard to get out of it but my boss wouldn't let me. I really did try. I'm so sorry about what happened. I'm here for you now, for anything you need. If you'll let me, that is..." Chris said nervously, letting out a big breath after his rambling speech. He was surprised when he was nearly knocked over by the force of Charlotte rushing forward and wrapping her hands around him.

"Thanks for coming, dad." She said quietly.

Chris let out a relieved breath and held his daughter close. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come earlier." He said softly.

"I don't care." Charlotte said. "You're here now. That's what matters."

"Penny wanted to come too but Gigi had really been looking forward to this sleepover she's having so she said she'd stay with her and come down at the weekend." Chris said.

"Tell her thanks and not to worry." Charlotte said.

"How's Gigi doing?" Rory asked.

"She's good. It took her a while to settle into the new school but she's made some nice friends now so she's happier." Chris said. "When did you get back?" He asked her.

"Yesterday. When I heard what happened, I had to be here." Rory said.

"Of course." Chris nodded understanding.

"Hey Chris." Lorelai smiled softly, appearing from upstairs.

"Hey.." He said softly. "How's Luke doing?"

"He's ok. Well as ok as he can be." She said. "He's with Mia upstairs at the moment. She's been a bit clingy since the accident."

"That's understandable." He said." And you're ok?" He said.

"Physically yeah." She nodded. "Emotionally, well..." She said with a sad shrug. "It's good that you came." She smiled softly.

"I wanted to be here." He said sincerely.

"It's actually good timing for another reason..." Charlotte said glancing at Rory.

"Yeah..uh..there's actually something I want to talk to you about." Rory said.

"Sure." He nodded.

Rory glanced nervously at Sam before gesturing for her dad to follow her. She led him into her bedroom.

"Should I be worried?" Chris chuckled nervously.

"No, not at all!" Rory laughed nervously. "It's just...uh...with everything that has happened, it's made Sam and I realise that life's too short to wait. So..uh..we're getting married, here, in Stars Hollow. Before I go back to London. Which means it will probably be within the next two weeks." She said.

"Oh, wow!" Chris said. He knew they were engaged but he was surprised by the sudden speed.

"And since you're here, I'd love you to be there..." Rory said.

"Of course!" He smiled.

"The thing is..." She said biting her lip nervously. "I want to ask Luke to give me away..."

Chris was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Well that makes sense..." He said.

"No, you don't understand! I want you to give me away as well. I want you both to give me away. But..uh..I wanted to make sure you'd be ok doing it with Luke..." Rory said hesitantly.

Chris smiled slightly. "Rory, I don't care if you have 100 people giving you away. So long as I'm one of them, I'm happy." He assured her.

"Really?" Rory said relieved.

"Luke and I buried the hatchet years ago. I know how much he deserves this. He deserves it more than me to be truthful, I know that. So hearing you want me to give you away has made me so happy. I'd be privileged." He said sincerely.

"Thanks dad." Rory said relieved giving him a hug.

"I love you kiddo." He said.

"I love you too." She said.

* * *

Jess returned a bit later with Jack and he was surprised to see Jack excitedly greet Chris who was sat in the living room with everyone.

"Grandpa Chris!" Jack exclaimed.

"Hey buddy!" Chris smiled ruffling his grandson's hair. He glanced at Jess. "I'm sorry about Olivia. And about your mom. It's awful." He said.

"Thanks." Jess said quietly. He glanced at Charlotte. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." She nodded getting up.

"I told Jack he could come. That's ok right?" He said having texted Charlotte about Jack's admission earlier that day.

"Of course." She smiled at her son. She then glanced at her dad. "We're going to the hospital to see Lizzie. Do you want to come meet your granddaughter?"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude." Chris said glancing between them.

"You wouldn't be." Charlotte said. "Right?" She said to Jess.

"No, not at all." Jess gave him a small smile. "Everyone else has met her now. You should come."

"If you're sure, I'd love to." Chris smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

Lorelai and Luke were lying in bed snuggled up that night.

"How are you doing today?" Lorelai asked softly.

"I'm ok." Luke said.

"Truthfully?"

Luke sighed. "Yeah. I..uh..I actually talked to Charlotte for a bit today. She put my mind at rest a bit." He admitted.

"That's good." Lorelai smiled softly. "For what it's worth, I think you were a hero that day. You helped everyone get out of that van. You were so brave. You kept me calm." She said sincerely.

Luke glanced at her before pulling her closer to him. "Thanks." He said softly.

* * *

Rory and Sam were lying in bed snuggled up that night.

"So how did your talk with your dad go?" Sam asked.

"It was good." Rory said. "He said he was just happy to be asked to be one of the people giving me away. He said Luke deserved to be asked."

"Good." Sam smiled. He pulled her closer to her. "Have I told you how much I can't wait to be married to you?" He said softly kissing her top of her head.

Rory smiled. "Many times." She said. "And the feeling's mutual." She said softly.

"Night Ror." Sam said softly.

"Night." Rory smiled closing her eyes.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess were lying in bed snuggled up that night.

"I can't believe Jack thought that..." Charlotte said quietly.

"I know." Jess sighed. "I think he's ok now though. I assured him it wasn't true."

"Good." Charlotte sighed. "We need to make sure we include him more now. Now more than ever. He needs to feel involved."

"Yeah you're right. We need to stick together as a family." Jess said.

"Yeah..." Charlotte said quietly. She was quiet for a moment before glancing at him. "So tomorrow..." She said nervously, wondering how she was going to make it through her own daughter's funeral.

"Yeah, tomorrow..." Jess said quietly, thinking the exact same thing.

"Together yeah?" Charlotte gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, together." Jess said giving her a kiss. "Together." He repeated.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think as I love reading your reviews! Thank you for your continued support! :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter! Now I haven't got any personal experience with what happens at the beginning but I have researched it and I hope I do it justice.**

Chapter 24

Charlotte felt tears falling down her face as she squeezed Jess' hand for support as they stood in Cedar Hill Cemetery close to the hospital. The hospital had provided a chaplain to do a small service for them before the burial. Charlotte and Jess had decided on a burial so that they could visit the grave. Charlotte felt her mom's arm go round her as well and pull her close. She glanced around at the small group of people they had invited. Lorelai and Luke were there as were Rory and Sam. Chris had come as did Emily and Richard which she really appreciated. She glanced at Jess who had his arm round Jack. They had really debated about whether to bring him as Lorelai and Luke had decided against bringing Mia but they had decided that Jack deserved to be able to say goodbye to his sister so they brought him.

"Now, Charlotte, Jess, I was told you'd like to say a few words before the burial..." The hospital chaplain said.

Charlotte nodded slowly and reached for Jess' hand again who squeezed it. She shakily brought out a piece of paper. "Olivia, I'm so sorry you never got to meet us and we never got to meet you..." She said tremulously. "You will always be in our heart and we will always love you...I...I..." She tried to say but she felt herself breaking down.

Jess glanced at her, fighting back tears himself, but he knew he had to step up. "It really breaks our heart that your life was cut short, that it never really started. But that doesn't mean we will forget about you. We will never forget about you. We...we hope you're at peace." He said, his voice cracking slightly. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up to see Luke giving him a supportive nod.

"We love you, Olivia. Rest in peace, sweetheart." Charlotte said tremulously.

"Thank you, Charlotte and Jess." The hospital chaplain said softly.

The burial then took place and soil replaced when their daughter had been buried and they were left looking at the small headstone they had got made.

"Would you two like a moment?" Lorelai asked softly.

"Yeah...please." Charlotte said quietly. "Can you take Jack with you?"

"Of course." Lorelai said. "How about we head back to Stars Hollow and you meet us there when you're ready? No rush."

Charlotte just nodded, staring at the headstone.

"Thanks." Jess said quietly. He glanced at their son. "You go with Grandma Lorelai and Grandpa Luke ok? We'll see you in a bit." He said softly.

"Can I give Olivia my picture first?" Jack asked quietly.

"Of course. You can put it by the headstone." Jess said. "Mommy and I will make sure it's protected."

Jack bent down and put his picture down by the grave. "I'll look after your sister." He whispered.

Charlotte blinked back more tears and then gave her son a hug and a kiss. "We won't be long, I promise." She said softly.

Everyone then left leaving Charlotte and Jess standing infront of the grave. "I never thought I'd be standing infront one of our kid's graves." Charlotte sniffed.

"I don't think anyone thinks that will happen." Jess said quietly. He glanced at her and put his arm round her, pulling her close. "We'll get through this together."

Charlotte blinked away tears, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't know how I would have got through today and the last few days without you." She said. "You've been amazing."

"You don't need to thank me." Jess said. "You've helped me too."

"Yeah but it's been worse for you. Your mom...her funeral is next week..." Charlotte sniffed.

Jess swallowed a lump in his throat. "We both lost our daughter..." He said quietly. He let out a shaky breath. "I love you. You know that right?"

Charlotte gave him a tremulous smile. "I know." She said her voice cracking. "I love you too." She glanced back at Olivia's grave. "Do you wonder what she might have been like?" She asked softly.

"Every day." Jess said honestly. "I reckon she would have been as beautiful as you."

"Flatterer." Charlotte smiled slightly.

"It's the truth. And Lizzie will be the same." Jess said.

"Will be." Charlotte smiled softly. "I like that."

"Lizzie's going to get through this, I just know it. She's a mix between a Mariano and Gilmore. She's got strong genes." He said.

"Yeah." Charlotte said softly. "Yeah you're right." She let out a slightly shaky breath before placing down some flowers on the grave. "We love you, angel." She said quietly.

Jess then placed down some other flowers. "Rest in peace." He said quietly. He sighed and glanced at Charlotte. "Come on, we should get going."

"Yeah..." She said quietly, still staring at the headstone.

Jess glanced at her and then at the grave. "Two more minutes." He said softly.

"Two more minutes." Charlotte nodded.

* * *

Back at the Crap Shack, there was a sombre mood following the morning events. Chris was helping Luke cook in the kitchen while Lorelai, Rory and Sam were trying to entertain Jack and Mia in the living room. Chris glanced over at Luke. "Tough day..." He said.

"Wouldn't want to repeat it." Luke said gruffly before sighing. "But I guess we'll have to next week." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry about your sister." Chris said sincerely. "If you need anything..."

"I don't." Luke said. He sighed before glancing at him. "But thanks." He said gruffly.

Chris nodded. "So I hear we'll be both giving Rory away..." He said changing the subject.

Luke glanced at him. "I didn't know she would ask me. I assumed she would just ask you..." He said hesitantly.

"It's fine. Really." Chris assured him. "You were there for her when I wasn't. You have every right to be doing it as well. You deserve it." He said.

Luke glanced at him before nodding. "Thanks." He said sincerely.

Chris couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Weird huh?"

"What?"

"How far we've come. Who would have thought we'd be ok at jointly giving Rory away?" Chris chuckled.

Luke smirked slightly. "Yeah I guess you're right."

"I'm glad though, that we've managed to get here. I'm not exactly the sort of person who makes friends easily. Lor was the only one who really stuck with me." He admitted, glancing at him. "So I really value our friendship." He said sincerely.

Luke glanced at him and gave him a nod. "Likewise." He said.

Chris nodded. He then smirked. "Should we stop talking about our emotions now and get a couple of beers out?"

Luke smirked slightly. "Sounds like a good idea."

* * *

Later that day, Jess was sat at the kitchen table with Luke and TJ going through some plans for Liz's funeral. They'd been going through details of the day when they came to eulogies.

"Well I've started writing mine..." TJ said. "I'm assuming you want to say something?" He asked Luke.

"Yeah." Luke nodded.

"Well then it's me and you then." TJ said.

"What, so I don't get a say?" Jess said.

"Jess..." Luke said.

"No! She was my mom! I know we didn't have the best relationship but she was still my mom! Don't I have the right to say something?" He said angrily.

"Jess, we didn't mean anything by it..." TJ started.

"No, you did! You both still think I'm just that screwed up kid! That I'm still a kid so won't care if you two just take over the preparations. It's crap!" He exclaimed.

"Jess!" Luke said.

"No, forget this! Screw it!" He said getting up.

"Where are you going?" Luke exclaimed.

"Out!" Jess said storming out of the kitchen.

"Jess?" Charlotte said concerned.

"I'm just getting some air." Jess mumbled before leaving the house.

By the time, he was walking down the street in the square he had calmed down a bit. He went and sat down in the gazebo for a bit and took a breather.

"Hey..." A familiar voice said.

"Oh, hey..." Jess said looking up to see Lane sitting down next to him. He hadn't noticed her coming.

"How are you doing?" She asked. Jess just shrugged. "I heard what you were doing this morning. I can't even start to imagine what that must have been like for you and Charlotte." She said softly. "I mean, I can't imagine having to bury my kid..." She said before gasping and stopping talking.

"Wait, what?" Jess said glancing at her in surprise.

"We weren't going to tell anyone until the scan..." Lane said quietly.

Jess smiled softly. "You're pregnant?" He asked.

"We found out last week." She nodded. "I'm so sorry. You're going through hell and..."

"No. Lane, this is great. Really! Congratulations!" Jess said softly. "Zach's excited right?"

Lane smiled. "Yeah, we both are." She said softly.

"I'm happy for you both." Jess said sincerely.

"Thanks, Jess." Lane said softly. She glanced at him. "So how are you doing? Honestly." She said.

He sighed. "Well considering I just gave Luke and TJ a mouthful over preparations for my mom's funeral, I think this morning may have got to me."

"I'm sure they won't take it personally." She assured him.

"Probably not. But I shouldn't have mouthed off at them." He sighed. "I just...Charlotte's hurting so much. And Luke's hurting because he's lost his sister and TJ's hurting because he's lost his wife. I just feel...I don't know...overwhelmed, I guess." He admitted.

"Well...you don't have to be strong infront of me." Lane said softly. "You ever need to talk, I'm here. So's Zach. And so's Brian and Gil. You're not alone, Jess."

"Thanks." Jess said quietly.

"You should talk to Charlotte though. She'd understand." She encouraged.

"She's struggling enough as it is. I don't want to burden her with my feelings." He said.

"But she's your wife." Lane said softly. "She would want to know."

Jess sighed. "I'll be fine." He said.

"Jess..."

He glanced at her. "I'll think about it." He said.

Lane nodded. "Ok." She said, dropping it. "You know we're all here for you right?" She said. "The band...we're all thinking of you. You're one of us, Jess. So you need anything, we're here ok?"

Jess felt some tears prick his eyes but he blinked them away, embarrassed. "Thanks." He said, his voice cracking slightly as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I need to get going. I'm helping at the diner today." She said reluctantly.

"It's fine, you go." Jess said.

Lane glanced at him and then hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Jess."

"Thanks." Jess said quietly, accepting her hug gratefully.

"I'm only a call away, remember that ok?" She smiled softly, getting up to go causing Jess to nod. She turned to leave when she heard Jess speak.

"Lane?"

"Yeah?" She said turning back round.

"Thanks." He said sincerely. "You're a really good friend."

"You'd do the same for me." She said. "You'll be ok." She said softly.

"Thanks Lane." Jess said softly. He watched her leave before slowly getting up himself. He let out a big breath before slowly heading back to the Crap Shack.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! :) Thanks again for all your support, it really does mean so much to me. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 25

Jess walked down the driveway of the Crap Shack. He stopped for a moment when he spotted TJ sat on the porch steps. He took a deep breath before walking towards him.

"Hey..." TJ said.

"Before you say anything, I'm sorry ok? I was out of order and I shouldn't have shouted at you both. I guess...well I guess the day just got on top of me..." Jess said.

TJ sighed. "No. You were right. We should have thought about what you wanted to do rather than just assuming." He said. He glanced at him. "So...you'd like to do a eulogy?" He asked cautiously.

Jess sighed and sat down next to him on the steps. "I don't know." He answered honestly. "I just...I don't know, maybe..."

TJ nodded slowly. "Well I'm sure we can arrange that if you really want to." He said.

Jess glanced at him. "Thanks." He said quietly. "How's Doula?" He asked after a moment.

"She's struggling. One moment we're laughing about happy memories of your mom, the next she's crying her eyes out about the fact she will never see her again." He sighed.

"It must be tough..." Jess said glancing at him.

"Yeah, she's finding it hard."

"I mean for you." Jess said.

"What do you mean?" TJ said confused.

"You've lost your wife but you feel like you have to stay strong for Doula. It must be hard..." He said quietly.

TJ shrugged. "It's what I have to do."

"Yeah...I get that." Jess sighed. He glanced at him. "You know...if you ever need to talk..." He said awkwardly.

TJ glanced at him and gave him a small smile. "I appreciate that. And likewise." He said. "Must be tough for you staying strong for Charlotte."

"It's what I have to do." He shrugged.

"I get that." TJ smiled softly. "I'm going to head back in there. You coming?"

"In a bit." Jess nodded.

"Ok. See you in there then."

Jess nodded and let out a breath as he sat on the steps for a moment longer. He suddenly heard the front door open and someone come and sit next to him.

"Are you ok?" Charlotte asked softly.

"I'm fine." Jess forced a smile.

"Jess..." She said softly.

He sighed. "I'm struggling." He finally admitted.

"Oh Jess, why didn't you say anything?" She said.

"Because...you're going through hell at the moment as well. I needed to be strong for you. I wanted to be strong for you." Jess sighed.

"Jess, you're only human. Yes, I've been struggling but that doesn't mean you can't either. Aren't husbands and wives meant to be there for each other not just husbands being there for their wives?" She said softly.

Jess shrugged. "I guess I just find it hard to talk about my emotions." He admitted.

"Yeah...I guess you've always been like that." Charlotte sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But I want you to know. I've really appreciated how amazing you've been the last few days and how much you've been there for me but now it's my turn to be there for you. You can talk to me, you know that right?" She said softly.

Jess glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah I know." He said softly. "I'm sorry..."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for. Come here." She said pulling him into a hug. "It's my turn to tell you we will get through this together. I promise you, we will."

"I miss her." Jess admitted tremulously.

"I know you do." Charlotte said softly. "I know you do."

* * *

The following week came quickly, too quickly in Jess' case, as he was dreading the day of the funeral. He and Charlotte had been visiting Lizzie in hospital every day. She had made some progress but she was still critical considering how premature she was. It was obviously taking its toll on them both but they had been talking more and they were getting through each day ones step at a time and they were getting through them together. Jess was stood in Charlotte's room at the Crap Shack, trying to adjust his tie using the mirror.

"Here. Let me help." Charlotte said softly, appearing beside him. She helped him fix it properly. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"I think I'll be relieved when today's over." He admitted.

"Jess, door for you!" Luke's voice called.

Jess frowned confused, not expecting anyone. TJ and Doula had arrived the evening before so they were already there. He went to the door with Charlotte and was surprised to see Lane, Zach, Brian and Gil dressed in black. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"We thought you might like some support." Lane smiled softly. "I know you've got your family but..."

"Thank you." Jess said cutting her off, touched. "You didn't have to..."

"We wanted to dude." Zach said giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You've been there for us when we needed you. Now we're here for you."

Jess blinked back tears, embarrassed. "Thank you." He managed to get out.

"How are you both doing?" Lane asked, giving Charlotte a hug. "I'm sorry I haven't been round. I assumed you'd want some space and well...I assumed you'd be at the hospital most of the time..." She said.

"We're ok. Getting through each day together." Charlotte said accepting her friend's hug. "And don't worry about not coming round, we got your card and flowers."

"We better get going." Luke said placing a hand on Jess' shoulder.

"Yeah.." Jess said quietly.

"Hey...we'll get through today together ok?" Luke said softly.

Jess gave him a small smile and nodded. "Together." He said.

* * *

Jess sat on the front row as he watched and listened as Luke and TJ did their eulogies for Liz. He could feel himself getting even more nervous as he knew it was going to be his turn to stand infront of everyone very soon. He watched as Luke stepped down and he felt a hand squeeze his own. He glanced beside him to see Charlotte smiled supportively at him.

"You can do it." She said softly.

Jess took a deep breath before getting up and standing at the front, facing everyone. "So..uh..most of you know I didn't have the best start with my mom..." He said quietly. "I sometimes wished I could just escape and never see her again." He admitted nervously. He glanced up and caught Luke's eyes who gave him a supportive smile and nod. "But recently..." He continued. "We got past everything that had happened. It took many years but things were finally good between us. It sucks that just as things were finally good, she was taken away from us all." He said, blinking back some tears. He glanced at the coffin. "Mom, I make this promise now to you. I promise that I will look out for Doula and I will make sure TJ doesn't brainwash her with his love of tights..." He said with a smirk which elicited some chuckles from everyone. He glanced at TJ who, thankfully, was smirking as well. Jess took a final breath. "I know I didn't tell you this much but I love you mom." He said emotionally. "And I'm going to miss you. Rest in peace." He said before stepping down quickly and making his way back to the front row. He felt a pat on the shoulder from both Luke and TJ and he felt Charlotte squeeze his hand again. He exhaled a big breath, glad that it was over.

The funeral came to an end and everyone started filing out and started heading back to Stars Hollows. It was arranged to all gather in the diner for a small wake. Sookie had made some food for it.

"So how are you doing?" Lane asked as she sat next to Jess who was sat at a table with Charlotte, Rory and Sam.

"I'm ok." Jess said.

"Sorry, that was probably a stupid question." Lane said.

"Nah it's fine." Jess assured her. "I'm doing better. I am." He said.

"Good." Lane gave him a small smile.

"Your eulogy was lovely, Jess." Lorelai said coming to join them.

"Thanks." Jess said self consciously.

"Your mom would have been really proud." She smiled softly.

"Yeah she would have. You do her proud." Luke said joining them as well. "You doing ok?" He asked Jess.

"Yeah I'm ok." He nodded.

"Good." Luke nodded.

"You?" Jess glanced up at him.

"Getting there." Luke said.

Just then Charlotte's cell rang. "Sorry." She apologised getting it out. "It's the hospital..." She glanced at Jess, worried. "Hello?" She answered. "Uh...yeah, we can. Is everything ok? Ok...yeah, no we can come now. Ok, bye..." She said, hanging up. She looked at Jess. "They want us to go in now."

"Is Lizzie ok?" Jess said concerned.

"They wouldn't say anything, just that they wanted us to go in now. Surely if it was bad news, they'd say right?" Charlotte said worried.

"I don't know." Jess said just as worried. "Come on, we better go." He said getting up.

"We'll drive you." Luke said.

"Yeah, we'll come with you." Lorelai said. "Chris, can you watch the kids for a bit?"

"Of course. You go." Chris said without hesitation having overheard the conversation.

"Come on." Luke told them.

"I'm sure everything's fine." Lorelai tried to reassure them.

* * *

Charlotte and Jess rushed into the hospital, followed closely by Lorelai and Luke, to the special unit and found the nurse who was looking after Lizzie. "Is she ok?" Charlotte asked immediately.

"She's fine." The nurse smiled at them.

"But...you told us to come in straight away? We thought something was wrong!" Jess said.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. We just wanted it to be a surprise." The nurse said.

"Surprise?" Charlotte asked confused.

"How would you like to hold your daughter?" She smiled softly at them.

"What?" Charlotte said stunned. "You mean..."

"She's doing really well and we feel like it's time you get to hold your daughter for the first time." She said.

"She's...she's ready for that?" Jess asked.

"We wouldn't suggest it if she wasn't. Obviously we will still prep her so she's comfortable outside the incubator but she's ready. And I'm sure she wants to finally be in your arms." The nurse said. "So what do you say?"

Charlotte felt tears in her eyes. "Yes, we say yes." She said, not believing she was finally being able to hold their daughter.

"Ok, well you two scrub up as normal while we prep Lizzie and then you meet us in there." The nurse smiled.

* * *

Luke glanced across at Lorelai who was sniffing slightly as they watched Charlotte and Jess holding Lizzie for the first time through the window. "Hey, you ok?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just...isn't it nice to have some good news for a change? I mean look at them..." Lorelai smiled tremulously. "I'm sorry, I'm just being silly. I just...it's so lovely to see them finally being able to hold her."

Luke smiled. "Yeah it is." He said softly, watching the genuine smiles on Charlotte and Jess' faces. He hadn't seen them for a while. "You're right. It's nice to have some good news for a change. And with Rory's wedding coming up, maybe things are finally starting to look up..." He said.

"I hope so." Lorelai said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Luke put his arm round her. "Me too." He said softly. "Me too."

Meanwhile, inside the special unit, Charlotte was looking down at her daughter with so much love. "She's so beautiful." She said emotionally.

"Just like you." Jess said, smiling down at their daughter.

"I mean, I know she was beautiful. It's just...different being able to finally hold her in my arms. It feels...well it finally feels that things might just be ok..." She smiled tremulously at him.

"Yeah..." He said, blinking tears away. "Yeah, I think you might be right."

"Here..." Charlotte said holding Lizzie out to him.

"Oh no, it's ok." Jess said. "You hold her."

"Jess..." Charlotte said softly.

"She's so small." Jess said quietly.

"So was Jack." She pointed out.

"I know but this is different. I..." Jess sighed.

"Jess, hold your daughter." Charlotte said softly.

Jess took a deep breath before slowly taking Lizzie from Charlotte. He couldn't help but smile down at their daughter and this time, he couldn't stop the tears falling. "You're right..." He said emotionally.

"About what?"

"About how it's different actually being able to hold her." Jess said.

Charlotte smiled. She leant down and gave Lizzie a kiss on her very small forehead before giving Jess a kiss as well. "She just needs to get strong enough now and then we can bring her home and we can finally start being a proper family. Me, you, Jack and Lizzie." She said softly.

Jess smiled. "Sounds perfect." He said softly, glancing at her. "I love you." He said giving her another kiss.

"I love you too." Charlotte smiled.

 **So a bit of good news finally! Hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I really do love reading what you think! Your support means so much to me so thank you! :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you for your continued support and I'm glad you enjoyed the little bit of happiness in the last chapter! :) Here's the next chapter and it's a big one! ;)**

Chapter 26

Charlotte woke up and glanced at the clock which said it was 7:00. She looked across at Rory's bed and smirked as she saw her sister already up writing in her notebook. "Already making lists?" She said.

Rory grinned at her. "Well I've got so much to do this morning. I need to make sure I have time for it all." She said.

"Trust you to still be making your lists on today of all days!" Charlotte teased.

"Yeah yeah, I'm weird. I know!" Rory smirked. "According to my list, I need to have a shower now." She grinned getting up and heading out of the bedroom.

"Hey Ror?" Charlotte said.

"Yeah?" Rory said turning round.

"You're getting married today." She smiled softly.

Rory smiled. "I know." She said happily.

"How are you feeling?"

"I can't wait." She beamed before disappearing off to have a shower.

Charlotte grinned before getting up and going into the kitchen to make coffee for when Rory was out of the shower. She smiled as their mom entered the kitchen.

"Oooh coffee! Thank god!" Lorelai said. "Where's the bride?"

"In the shower." Charlotte said. "She's made herself a very organised schedule of her morning events." She smirked.

"Sounds like Rory." Lorelai laughed.

"Do we have anything good in for breakfast?" Charlotte asked looking round.

"I don't know. I was meant to do the shopping yesterday but I got stuck at the inn." She said.

"So no then." Charlotte smirked just as the doorbell rang. "That won't be Grandma and Grandpa yet, will it?" She said.

"I wouldn't put it past them." Lorelai said.

Charlotte walked to the door and opened it. She grinned when she saw who it was. "Oh my god, you saviour!" She exclaimed.

"Breakfast provided by Luke." Jess smirked handing her some take out bags.

"Tell him we love him!" She grinned.

"And how about the delivery man? Do you love him too?" Jess smirked.

"Maybe." She teased him. "You want to come in?" She asked.

"Nah, I better get back to Sam. He's already pacing around."

"He's ok though right?" Charlotte checked.

"He's good. He just wants it to happen." Jess smiled. "How about Rory?"

"She's Rory. Written a list about everything she needs to do this morning and how long she has for it." Charlotte grinned.

"Sounds about right." Jess chuckled.

"But she's really excited." She smiled.

"It brings it all back doesn't it?" Jess smiled. "The wanting it to just happen."

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah, it does." She said softly. She leant forward and gave him a kiss. "Thanks for the breakfast."

"You're welcome. See you in the square."

* * *

"Did you see her?" Sam asked.

"Rory? No. But Charlotte said she was up early arranging what needed to be done." Jess smirked.

Sam smiled at that. "Sounds like Rory."

"Yeah. Charlotte said she's really excited." Jess smiled.

"Yeah?" Sam said glancing at him.

"Yeah. So stop worrying and stop pacing. It's driving me crazy!" He smirked.

"Ha, says the person who was exactly the same on his wedding day." Luke said as he made some breakfast for Jack.

"Uh hello, pot, kettle, black?" Jess retorted.

Luke smirked slightly. "Yeah ok, you got me." He glanced at Sam. "Just try to relax. Come and eat something." He told him.

"Yeah ok." Sam sighed going to sit next to Jack.

"And you, be useful and go get some cards." Luke told Jess.

"What did your last slave die of?" Jess said.

"Not getting me cards." Luke smirked.

"Despot." Jess grumbled but got up and went off in search for some cards.

* * *

Later that morning, Charlotte was with Rory, doing her hair, in Rory's room while Lorelai was getting Mia ready for the day. "I can't believe today will happen and then you will have to go back to London." She said.

"I know. But my boss has been so understanding." Rory sighed. "And well...Lizzie's getting stronger now isn't she? You know I wouldn't go if she was still critical."

"I know." Charlotte assured her.

"Are you sure you and Jess will be ok not seeing her today? I feel bad..." Rory said.

"Don't be. Today's your day. We spent most of the day yesterday with her and the hospital said they would call if anything changes." Charlotte said. "Don't worry about it ok? Focus on you today. You're getting married." She smiled.

Rory smiled. "Yeah it doesn't seem real." She admitted.

"Yeah I remember the feeling." Charlotte said softly.

There was a knock on the door then and Lorelai peeked her head round. "Hon, your grandmother's here." She smiled.

"Oh great! Tell her she can come in." Rory said. "Is dad here yet with Penny and Gigi?"

"Not yet but I received a text from him and he said he's on his way." She said.

"Ok good. And is Luke coming here before we leave as well?" She asked.

"Yeah I think so. I'll ring him." She smiled.

"Thanks mom." Rory said.

"I'll just finish getting Mia ready and then we can get that dress on you." Lorelai smiled softly. "I know you don't have it on yet but you look beautiful."

"Thanks mom." Rory smiled softly.

"And what am, chopped liver?" Charlotte joked.

"You look beautiful too." Lorelai grinned.

"Why thank you." Charlotte grinned.

Lorelai then went off to find Mia again and Emily slowly walked in. "Morning girls."

"Hi Grandma." Rory smiled.

"How great does her hair look?" Charlotte grinned.

"Very pretty." Emily nodded approvingly.

"Thanks for coming, Grandma." Rory said softly.

"Of course I came! It's my granddaughter's wedding day." Emily said.

"I know. I just know it's short notice and I know you haven't always been that...well, approving of Sam..." Rory said hesitantly.

"Are you happy with him?" Emily asked softly.

"Yeah. Really happy." Rory said softly.

"Well that's all that matters. I know I can sometimes be...judgemental...but recent events have shown me that life's too short to focus on the small things. If you're happy, then your grandfather and I are happy." She said.

Rory blinked back tears. "Thank you Grandma." She said softly.

"What about Jess?" Charlotte quipped.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I've never had a problem with Jess, Charlotte."

"Uh, yeah you have." She said.

"Ok! No arguing on my big day!" Rory intercepted. She was grateful when there was a knock on her door again. "Come in!" She called.

Lane and Paris then entered. "Hey bride!" Lane grinned.

"Hey!" Rory grinned getting up to hug her. "Paris, I'm so happy you could make it!" She said hugging her as well.

"Do you think I would miss my best friend's wedding?" Paris said.

"Aw Paris, I'm hurt." Charlotte smirked.

Paris rolled her eyes. "You look good." She told Rory.

"Thanks." Rory said, smirking slightly at her friend's usual bluntness.

"Right, time for the dress hon!" Lorelai came in with Mia. "Go change upstairs and we'll wait in the living room."

"Ok!" Rory grinned and she disappeared off as everyone else trailed out to the living room.

* * *

"Is there room for one more in here?" Richard asked as he stuck his head round the diner apartment.

"Of course, Richard. I need to get off now anyway." Luke said. "I'll see you in the square. Good luck." He gave Sam a pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks." Sam nodded before glancing at Richard. "Hey...thanks for coming. I know it was short notice."

"Nonsense. Emily and I wouldn't miss this for the world." Richard said.

"Even if I'm not the kind of guy you expected marrying your granddaughter..." Sam said hesitantly.

"Nonsense. You love Rory and that's good enough for me." He said. He glanced at him. "You're going to look after her?"

"Of course." Sam nodded.

"Then I am very happy for you both." Richard smiled.

"Thank you." Sam let out a breath.

"You better get your jacket on. It's about time." Jess said.

"Really?" He said glancing at the time. He was surprised to see he was right. Playing card games sure did make the time fly.

"You ready?" Jess said.

Sam got his jacket and put it on, before letting out a big breath. "Ready." He said.

"Let's go then." Jess smiled.

* * *

"Oh Rory..." Lorelai breathed out as she watched her daughter walk down the stairs in her dress. "You look..."

"Beautiful." Charlotte smiled.

"Incredible." Lorelai blinked back tears. "Oh hon..."

"You really think so?" Rory smiled tremulously.

"I'm so proud to be your mom." Lorelai said softly giving her a careful hug.

"Your mom's right. You look beautiful." Emily smiled. "I..uh..I brought this with me. Your mom and Charlotte wore it at their weddings and I wondered whether you would like to wear it at yours." She said handing her the item.

"The tiara." Rory said softly. "I'd love to. Thank you." She smiled putting it on.

"We better get off or we'll be late." Emily said.

"Can you give us a minute?" Lorelai asked. "Take Mia with you so she's ready."

"Of course." Emily said understanding and she, Lane, Paris and Mia left to head towards the square.

"Do you think the tiara suits me?" Rory asked them.

"It's perfect." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Yeah. You really do look amazing, Ror." Charlotte said.

"Thanks." Rory said taking a deep breath. "This is it. I can't believe it." She said.

"You ready?" Lorelai smiled.

"So ready." Rory smiled as she saw Luke and Chris come in.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Charlotte grinned.

* * *

Charlotte, Lane and Paris had all walked down the aisle and took their positions on the bride's side. Sam took a deep breath and glanced at Jess who was stood beside him and who gave him a supportive smile. He knew Rory was next to walk down the aisle and he could barely contain himself. He tried to regulate his breathing before looking down the aisle and he felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Rory walking towards him.

Rory couldn't take his eyes off Sam as her dad and Luke walked her up the aisle. She felt all her nerves disappear in that moment as she knew this was right. Now she just couldn't wait to be married to him. She got to the end of the aisle and she kissed her dad's cheek before giving Luke a hug and surprising him with a kiss on the cheek as well. She then went and stood next to Sam. "Hey.." She breathed out.

"You look...incredible." Sam said.

"Thanks." Rory ducked her head slightly.

The ceremony then started and soon they got to the vows. "Now I believe Rory and Sam have written their own vows..." Reverend Skinner said. "Sam, would you like to start?" He said.

"Yeah.." Sam said taking a deep breath. "Rory..." He said facing her. "I know everyone's cynical about the cliche love at first sight but with you, it was." He started, feeling his voice shake already. He took another breath to try and contain his emotions. "The first time I saw you, I knew. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever met. And that hasn't changed. You really changed my life. I was a bit lost at the time but suddenly I met you and everything just felt better. You gave me a reason to live. You gave me a reason to be happy." He said blinking back some tears. "I love you so much and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." He said sincerely.

"Rory..." Reverend Skinner prompted.

"Wow..." Rory said emotionally, wiping away some tears. "Sam, I love you. I feel so grateful that you came to Stars Hollow that day and Jess introduced us. We started off as friends but slowly it developed into something more and it felt so...right. I'd never felt this feeling before and that's how I knew it was right. I knew you were the one. I can't imagine my life without you so I can definitely say today is the best day of my life." She smiled tremulously.

"Thank you both." Reverend Skinner smiled at them. "By the power vested in me, I can now pronounce you husband and wife. You can now kiss the bride."

Sam smiled and pulled Rory towards her before pulling her into a loving kiss. "I love you." He said.

"I love you too." Rory smiled.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after the meal, it was time for speeches. Lorelai stood up first. "I know it's not traditional for the mother of the bride to say something but I wanted to say at least something." She said. "I can't believe both my daughters are now married. It makes me feel old." She joked getting some chuckles. "Rory, I could not be more proud of you. You look beautiful today and I am so so happy for you. You know how much you mean to me and Sam, you've been part of the family for so long now so I'm happy it's now official." She smiled at them both. "I wish you both every happiness in what the future brings you and I can't wait to be part of that adventure. To Rory and Sam!" She said holding up his glass.

"To Rory and Sam!" Everyone said.

Chris stood up next. "I'll keep this short but Luke and I just wanted to say how honoured we were to be part of your big day today." He smiled at his daughter. "We know how much Sam makes you happy. We love you and we wish you every happiness for the future." He said before handing the microphone to Charlotte.

"So I'll try and get through this without getting too emotional!" Charlotte joked. She turned to Rory. "Ror, you know how much you mean to me. You've been there for me through all the highs and lows and I can't thank you enough. You've always been there by my side. You're the best sister anyone could ever ask for." She smiled tremulously at Rory, who was also blinking back tears. She turned to Sam. "Sam, you know how much I like you. I've never seen Rory so happy with anyone before. I know you'll look after her and I know you love her. But I must warn you, if you ever hurt her, I'll be first in queue to kick your ass." She smirked.

Sam chuckled. "Duly noted." He smirked.

"But seriously, you two are such a good match. It's clear you belong together and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you both. So let's toast to their future!" She smiled holding up her glass.

"To their future!" Everyone echoed.

Jess stood up next. "I knew I shouldn't have gone last." He grumbled making everyone laugh. "As Sam's best man, I just want to let everyone know that...he used to sleep with a teddy called Blue." He smirked. "And I'm sorry, Rory, he still has him!" He said causing everyone to laugh.

"Thanks mate." Sam shook his head.

"Hey, it's the best man's job to embarrass the groom isn't it? I'm just following tradition." Jess smirked. "But I guess it's too late to run for the hills now, Rory." He joked, seeing Rory laugh. "Seriously though..." He said turning serious. "Sam, you've been one of the few constants in my life and I want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship. You deserved to find someone who made you happy and I know Rory does. I knew from the first day I introduced you to her that you'd fallen for her. And in time, I know the feeling was mutual." He smiled. "Rory, you have been like family to me for years now and I'm happy that you and my best mate ended up together. He's a good guy. A really good guy. But I know you know that already." He said, seeing Rory nodding and giving Sam a kiss. "I know you're like family to me but since Charlotte's given Sam a warning, as his best mate I feel like I should return the favour and tell you if you hurt him, I'll be after you." He joked.

"Noted!" Rory grinned.

"To Rory and Sam!" Jess said holding his glass up.

* * *

The party was soon in full swing and Rory and Sam got on the dancefloor for their first dance. As the song played and Rory and Sam danced slowly together.

"Have you enjoyed today?" Rory asked.

"Are you kidding? Best day of my life." Sam smiled.

Rory smiled. "Yeah. Me too." She said softly, leaning her head on his shoulder as they continued to dance.

"Hey Rory?" Sam said.

"Yeah?"

"How would you feel if I came back to London with you?" He said.

"What, like a visit? Ooh or we can have our honeymoon there? But is it really a honeymoon if it's in a place I work?" Rory said.

"Probably not." Sam chuckled. "But no, I don't mean like a visit. I mean, like...permanently..." He said.

"What?" Rory said surprised.

"You said yourself that you don't know what your future there may hold." Sam said. "And, well, I don't think I could stand to be away from you for any longer."

"So, you mean you'd live with me? We'd live together in London?" Rory said, a smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah...So..what do you say?" Sam smiled. "Want to live together as husband and wife?"

"Are you kidding?" Rory exclaimed excitedly. "I say yes! I'd love it if you came with me."

"Good. Because I've already booked my ticket." Sam smirked. "I love you, Rory."

"I love you too, hubby!" Rory grinned, leaning in for a kiss.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading your comments! :) Thanks again for all your support! It really does mean so much to me. :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you for the continued support! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 27

Lorelai watched her youngest daughter from across the room with Michel at the reception desk. Mia had taken a liking to Michel and, surprisingly, Michel seemed to enjoy her company as well. She knew Rory and Charlotte used to enjoy winding him up when they were younger but Mia was a bit shyer than them and that temperament seemed to suit Michel. Sure, he still enjoyed complaining about Mia to her but she knew he had a soft spot for her youngest. She smiled as she saw Michel actually smile at something Mia said.

"Hey!" She said as she walked over to them. "What are you two up to?"

"Working. Isn't that what I always seem to do here when you're off gossiping with Sookie in the kitchen?" Michel drawled.

"Mia's 5 and you're making her work?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"She's perfectly capable of sorting out my post it notes." Michel said. "At least one of your daughters has respect for my system."

Lorelai smirked as she remembered several times that Rory and Charlotte had swiped post its from him, usually just to wind him up. "Well is Mia allowed to have a break?" She asked.

"I like helping Michel!" Mia grinned.

"I know hon, but it's lunch. You can't work on an empty stomach. And I definitely can't so come on." She smiled.

"Can we go to the diner?" She asked excitedly.

"Where else?" Lorelai grinned.

"Yay!" Mia said immediately discarding the post its and grabbing her mom's hand.

"See you later, Michel." Lorelai smirked.

"If you say so." He said as he watched them leave.

* * *

Meanwhile, while Jess and Charlotte were visiting Lizzie in hospital in the morning, Richard had offered to watch Jack for them. Emily was at a function so it was just him. He decided to take his grandson to the park. He sat down on a bench as he watched Jack have fun in the kid's playground there. He smiled as he saw the happy smile on his great grandson's face as he whizzed through obstacle course and went down the slides. He started to think about whether Lorelai would have enjoyed going to the park with him when she was Jack's age. He thought back with slight sadness about how he hadn't really made the effort to take Lorelai out. He was always busy with work but he often wondered whether things between him and his daughter would have been different had he actually made the effort to spend the time with her. He was brought out of his thoughts as Jack came running over.

"Grandpa, can you push me on the swing?" He asked.

"Of course! And then how about we go and get an ice cream and then head over to mine and your Grandma's house until your mom and dad come and collect you?" He suggested.

"Ok!" Jack smiled happily.

* * *

April looked up from her desk in her room at MIT as the door opened. She smiled slightly as she saw who it was. "Hi." She said.

"Hey." Jamie said coming in. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. Nearly got all the reading done." She said.

"That's not what I meant." Jamie said giving her a look as he sat down on her bed.

April sighed. She hadn't wanted to go back to MIT but her mom had convinced her that dropping out would mean that Toby won and she didn't want that. However, since going back, she had tried not to go out too much as she had frequently heard whispers in corridors as she walked down it. Luckily she hadn't seen Toby but she knew it was all over MIT and she knew everyone thought she was lying. "I'll be glad when it's summer break." She admitted.

"Why don't we go out tonight?" Jamie suggested. "It might do you good."

"I'm ok." April said quietly.

Jamie sighed. "I know you're struggling but I hardly see you anymore. You're always in here or in class. No one's even talking about it anymore." He said.

"Yes they are. You don't know because you're never with me when I go out." April said. "I just...I can't deal with it anymore. He's in the wrong and everyone's talking about me. How is that fair?"

"It isn't." Jamie sighed. "I hate him for what he's done to you. But this isn't healthy, April. You staying locked up in here. It's not healthy and I'm worried about you. You say you don't want him to win but that's exactly what you're doing." He said.

"You don't understand what it's like!" April exclaimed. "Everywhere I go, all the whispering, it all reminds me of that night...I...I can't deal with it." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, come here." He said getting up to give her a hug. "You're right. I don't understand what you're going through. I can even start to imagine what you're going through. But I'm here for you ok? I know you think you're alone but you're not. People may not believe you but I do. I'm here, April, and I'm not going anywhere." He said softly.

"I'm sorry I've been a rubbish girlfriend recently..." She sniffed quietly.

"You haven't." Jamie assured her. "You've been through something terrible. And then with the car crash as well, I get why you've withdrawn a bit. Anyone would. I just want you to know that you're not alone."

"I know." April said quietly. "I do know that. And I appreciate it. Really."

"I love you. I know I've made stupid mistakes but I really do love you." Jamie said sincerely.

"I love you too." April said softly. She took a deep breath. "So where were you thinking we could go tonight?" She asked.

"Really?" Jamie said. "I don't want to force you..."

"You're not." April assured him. "You were right. I need to show him he hasn't won." She said.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlotte and Jess went to collect Jack and found him and Richard playing a game of chess.

"Chess?" Charlotte said surprised.

"Grandpa's teaching me how to play!" Jack grinned up at his parents.

"Well you're more patient than me, buddy. I could never sit down through a game of chess." Jess smirked.

"So how's he doing?" Charlotte asked.

"Very well. He's very smart, your son." Richard said.

"We know that." Charlotte smiled proudly, ruffling his son's hair. "I wish I knew how to play. I always wanted to."

"You had an interest in chess?" Richard asked surprised.

"I always saw this chess set whenever we came over and always wondered how to play." Charlotte said.

"I never knew you wanted to learn." Richard said.

"You never asked." Charlotte shrugged.

"No." Richard said quietly. "I guess I didn't."

"Well maybe Jack can teach you when he's an expert." Jess smirked. "You ready to go, mister?"

"Yeah." Jack said. "How's Lizzie?"

"Getting better." Jess told him.

"When can she come home?" He asked.

"Soon hopefully." Charlotte smiled. "Thanks for watching him, Grandpa." Charlotte smiled.

"No problem. It was fun." Richard smiled. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too." Charlotte said.

* * *

Lorelai arrived home with Mia, who had spent all the day at the inn with her now she was on her summer holidays from school. She smiled as she immediately smelt food wafting through from the kitchen.

"I smell food." She smiled as she walked through to the kitchen while Mia turned on the tv and sat down on the couch.

"Lasagne ok?" Luke asked.

"Sounds perfect." She grinned.

"Oh, Rory called by the way." He said.

"Oh yeah? How are they doing?" She asked.

"Good. Sam's still searching for a job but she sounded happy." Luke said.

"Good." Lorelai smiled.

"She said she'd call you back later." He said just as the phone rang.

"Maybe that's her." Lorelai smiled going off to answer the phone. "Hello?" She answered.

"Lorelai?"

"Dad?" She said surprised.

"Hello.." Richard said.

"Hi..." Lorelai said. There was a slight pause. "Are you ok? Has something happened?" She asked.

"Oh no, not at all." Richard assured her. "I just..uh..wanted to check in with you. How are you?"

"I'm good." She said still slightly confused by the call. Her father never called her.

"And Luke?"

"He's good too."

"And Mia?"

"She's good. Dad, is there something you needed?" She asked.

"Was I a bad father to you?" He asked finally.

"What?" Lorelai said surprised.

"Was I the reason that...that...?" He started.

"That I went off the rails and got pregnant?" Lorelai raised her eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that. You know I love Charlotte and Rory." He said quickly.

"I know." She assured him. "Where is this coming from?"

"I was watching Jack for Charlotte and Jess today. I took him to the park and it just got me thinking. He was so happy and excited and I just started thinking about if you ever wished you could go to the park with me when you were younger..." He admitted.

"Oh, well...I guess that would have been nice to spend time with you. You were always away on business and mom was always busy as well." She said honestly.

"I'm sorry." Richard said.

Lorelai sighed. "Dad, that was so long ago now. I may not have understood at the time but I get it now. It was a different time and you and mom were brought up in a different world. You needed to work. I get that. I may have wanted more attention from you both but I never thought you were bad parents." She said. "And I can't regret my childhood. If you it had been different, I never would have kept sneaking out to meet Chris and then I never would have had the girls."

"I guess that's true." Richard said slowly.

"Dad, you were never a bad father. It was just a different time." Lorelai assured him.

Richard sighed. "Thank you, Lorelai." He said. "I was thinking, well, hoping...that maybe I could spend some time with Mia. I want to be different and I want her and Jack to know that they can come to me whenever they need to."

"Well...I'm sure Mia would like that." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Ok good. Thank you." Richard said. "Well I better let you go. Enjoy your evening."

"Yeah...you too. Bye dad." She said hanging up, shaking her head at the weird conversation she had just had. The phone rang again suddenly. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hi mom!" Rory said happily.

* * *

Charlotte walked into the living room after putting Jack to bed that evening. They were finally back at their own flat. They decided it was time and they wanted Jack to have his own bedroom back. She smiled as she heard Jess on the phone.

"Doula, I said I'd come and see you tomorrow and I will." Jess said rolling her eyes at Charlotte, who smirked and sat down next to him.

"But you promised you would come on Wednesday but you didn't." Doula said.

"I know. I'm sorry about that. I had to help your Uncle Luke at the diner." He said.

"I miss you." Doula said quietly. "It's so quiet without mommy."

Jess sighed. "I know." He said softly. "How about this? I make a promise to you that one day a week, I'll come and see you or I can arrange with your daddy to bring you here and we can hang out. We can have some sibling time." He suggested.

"Really?" Doula said, perking up.

"If you'd like that, yeah." Jess said.

"Yes!" Doula said excitedly. "I'll ask daddy about it tonight."

"You do that." He smiled as he watched Charlotte turn on the tv quietly. "Look, I've got to go but I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"Me too." She said. "Bye Jess. I love you."

"Bye Doula." Jess said softly. He hung up to see Charlotte smiling at him. "What?" He said.

"Softy." She smirked slightly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah whatever." He said but smiled slightly. "So what are we watching tonight?"

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think. I know I say it all the time but I really do appreciate all your support. If it weren't for you guys, I probably would be too nervous to post anything so thank you. :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you for your continued support! I'm really enjoying writing this so I hope you're enjoying it! :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 28

"Jamie, you didn't need to do this. You didn't need to take me away for the weekend. The meal yesterday was enough." April said.

"You deserve a break." Jamie said.

"Where are we going anyway?" She asked looking out the passenger side window.

"Check the sign."

April's face suddenly lit up and she turned to Jamie. "Stars Hollow?" She smiled softly.

"Thought you'd like a break and I know you love it here." He smiled.

"I do." She said softly. "But what if they're busy? Do they know we're coming?"

"I messaged Charlotte so she knows. Reckon we'd leave it a surprise for your dad." Jamie said. He saw April glance out the window and smile as she saw the familiar surroundings. "Is this ok?" He asked.

April smiled at him and leaned over carefully, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." She said softly.

* * *

"Hi Luke, making my sister work now are we?" Charlotte grinned as she and Jack walked into the diner and sat at the counter, seeing Mia by the till.

"She wanted to help." Luke said.

"Sure she did!" Charlotte teased.

"Hey, remember you and Rory always used to help out here when you were younger. You liked it." Luke pointed out.

"Yeah I remember. I just like teasing you." She grinned.

"Just like your mom." Luke shook his head. "Want your usuals?" He asked.

"Yes please." She grinned.

"Can I work here when I'm older?" Jack asked.

"Maybe." Charlotte smirked.

"Where's Jess?" Luke asked.

"With Doula. He promised her he'd spend the day with her." She smiled.

"Are you not going to the hospital today then?" Luke asked bringing them their food after a while.

"No I am but I need to find someone to watch this one first." Charlotte said gesturing to Jack.

"You know I would but I'm stuck here all day and I'm watching this one as well." Luke said gesturing to Mia.

"It's fine. I might go and see if Lane is free." She said. She smiled as she glanced out of the window though. "But first, there's a surprise for you."

"What do you mean?" Luke said.

"Look outside." Charlotte said.

Luke was surprised to see April getting out a car with Jamie. "April? What is she doing here?" He asked.

"Came to visit. Jamie messaged me yesterday to ask if it was ok. I think he wanted to cheer her up a bit. It's ok right?" Charlotte said.

"Of course! April!" Luke smiled, going over to her daughter as she entered the diner and gave her hug. "It's good to see you."

"You too, dad." April smiled, reciprocating the action. "Charlotte, hey!" She smiled giving her a hug too.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled. "You two made good time." She said.

"Not much traffic." Jamie said.

"It's ok that we've gatecrashed your weekend right?" April checked.

"Of course. April, you know you're always welcome. Anytime." Luke smiled.

"Thanks." April smiled softly.

"I'm actually about to head to the hospital to see Lizzie. Want to come?" Charlotte asked April.

"If you're sure." April said.

"Yeah! Jess is with Doula so it would be nice to have company. I just need to find someone to watch Jack." She said.

"I can." Jamie offered.

"Really?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"I don't mind. If you're stuck, I'm happy to help." Jamie said.

"If you're sure, that would be great. Thanks Jamie." Charlotte smiled. "Right, you be good ok? And I'll be back soon." She told Jack.

"Ok." Jack said.

"Love you." She said kissing the top of his head. "Ok let's go." She smiled at April. "Bye Luke!" She said.

"See ya." Luke waved.

* * *

Jess watched Doula as she fed the ducks. TJ had dropped her off in the morning and she had the biggest smile on her face and had given him the biggest hug. It made him feel bad that he hadn't made more of an effort to spend time with her. He vowed there and then that he would keep his promise to her to spend one day a week with her.

"Jess, can we go and get something to eat?" Doula asked after she had got rid of all her bread.

"Yeah come on. What would you like?" He asked getting up.

"Can we get pizza?" She asked.

"Pizza it is." Jess nodded and they headed off in search for some pizza.

After getting a takeaway pizza, Jess took Doula to the bridge in Stars Hollow. "Now this is my favourite place in the whole town." He told her.

"The bridge?" Doula asked.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"It's peaceful. I used to like to come here and read." Jess told her.

"Do you come with Charlotte?" She asked.

"Sometimes. She likes to sketch here as well." He smiled as they sat down.

"It is nice." Doula said quietly as she started eating their food and looked out at the water.

Jess glanced at her. "Are you ok?" He asked cautiously.

"Do you miss mommy?" She asked quietly.

Jess sighed and put his arm round her. "Of course I do." He said softly.

"Daddy wants to move house." She sniffed.

"What?" Jess said surprised.

"He said he wants to move closer to you. He said it would be what mommy would want. He said she would want us to be near you and Uncle Luke." She said quietly.

"And how do you feel about that?" He asked cautiously.

Doula shrugged. "I want to be close to you and Uncle Luke but...the house has lots of mommy's stuff. I don't want to get rid of it." She sniffed.

"I'm sure your daddy doesn't want to either. I'm sure he's planning to take it all with you." Jess assured her. "He's really wanting to move closer to us?" He asked.

Doula nodded. She glanced up at him. "Is that ok? That we will be closer to you."

Jess smiled softly at her and pulled her close. "Of course. I'd love to have you close."

Doula smiled slightly. "Can we go get ice cream now?" She asked.

Jess smirked slightly. "Boy you know how to play me, don't you?" He joked. "Come on then, let's get your ice cream."

* * *

"So how are you doing?" Charlotte asked April as they sat next to Lizzie at the hospital.

"I should ask you that. It's your daughter we're sat with at the hospital." April pointed out.

"Yeah but she's getting better and stronger every day. She's out of danger now. It's just a matter of time." Charlotte said. "So I ask again, how are you doing?"

April sighed. "Not great." She admitted. "I've tried to move on from it, I really have but...people are still whispering when I walk past them. People are still badmouthing me. They all think I lied." She said. "Jamie tells me to just ignore them. I know I should and I shouldn't care what they think but I do. I can't help it. Every time I step out of my dorm room, I'm reminded about what happened."

"Yeah I get that." Charlotte said sympathetically. She saw April look at her confused. "I mean, I obviously don't know exactly what you're going through. But I do know what it's like to have everyone talking about you. Remember I got pregnant not that much older than you are now. Do you really think this town just kept quiet about it?"

"But this town loves you!" April said surprised.

"Didn't stop them talking about it all the time though. To them, it was the biggest story they'd had in months." Charlotte said. "Plus I had that thing going on with my mom at the time."

"How did you deal with all the whispering?" April asked quietly.

"I ignored it." She shrugged. "They got bored in the end. I know it's hard to be the centre of attention especially when you don't want to be. But they will get over it and when they see that you don't care what they think, they'll get bored. They're doing it to get a reaction. Don't give them one."

"That's what Jamie said." She said quietly.

"Well he's right." Charlotte said. She glanced at April. "You and Jamie...you seem to have worked things out." She said cautiously.

April smiled slightly. "Yeah. He's been great through everything." She admitted. "I..I think he might be the one. I know I'm still young and people might think that's crazy but I knew the day I met him that there was something special there. I just felt that spark with him and that hasn't left. He's been so supportive lately as well. I just...I love him."

Charlotte smiled. "It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" She said softly.

April smiled coyly. "Yeah it is." She said softly.

* * *

Sam looked up from the kitchen table as the door opened. "Hey." He smiled.

"Hey!" Rory smiled. "Any luck?" She asked gesturing to his laptop where he was still job hunting.

"I've found a couple of book stores that are looking for assistant managers. Figured since I've actually opened one with Jess, I should be qualified for them." He said.

"You definitely are!" Rory nodded, giving him a quick peck before going to the fridge and getting some food out for lunch.

"I've applied for them but I don't hear back until the end of this week." He said.

"Well I'm sure you'll get called for an interview." Rory smiled.

"You have too much faith in me." Sam chuckled.

"Because I know you're amazing, that's why. They'd be fools not to want you." She said.

"So how's work going?" He asked.

"Good..." Rory said slowly. "Really good actually..."

"Ok why do I think you have something to share with me?" He said.

"My boss called me in today." She admitted. "Seeing as I'm nearing the end of my contract, I was sort of expecting it."

"And?" Sam asked.

"He told me he loved what I was doing and that he definitely didn't want to let me go." She said. She glanced at me. "He's offered me a year's contract." She admitted.

"Wow!" Sam said. "Wow, Ror, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed getting up and hugging her.

"Yeah?" Rory said, letting out a breath.

"Of course!" He smiled. "Why, did you think I wouldn't be happy?"

"It just would mean us having to stay here for another year..." Rory said.

Sam smiled at her. "Hey, when I married you, I vowed that I would be by your side whatever. And I meant that. I knew there was a chance you'd stay on here and there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you." He assured her.

Rory smiled. "Thanks." She said softly.

"Guess this means I sort of need to start getting interviews!" He joked.

Rory smirked. "You will. I'm sure of it." She smiled. "Now are you free for a bit to have lunch with me before I have to get back?"

"What are we having?" Sam smiled.

* * *

Charlotte and April returned to Stars Hollow later that afternoon and found Jamie and Jack playing with a football in the square. Charlotte glanced at April who was smiling as she watched Jamie.

"Makes your heart swoon, doesn't it?" Charlotte smirked.

"What?" April said coming out of her daze.

"Seeing him with Jack. I still get it when I see Jess with a kid. It still makes my heart go." She smiled. "Makes you think about the future..." She teased.

"Oh! No, I'm so not ready for that yet!" April said quickly.

Charlotte smirked. "I'm sure your dad will be happy to hear that."

April smirked slightly. "But yes...it does make my heart swoon." She admitted, watching Jamie celebrate Jack's goal by picking him up and spinning him round.

"Knew it!" Charlotte grinned.

"Charlotte!" A voice shouted.

Charlotte turned and smiled as she saw Doula and Jess walking towards them. "Hey!" She smiled at them, giving Doula a hug.

"Can I go play with Jack?" Doula asked Jess as she spotted him in the square.

"Sure. I'll just let your daddy know where we are." Jess said.

"Come on, I'll go with you." April smiled, taking Doula's hand and walking off towards Jamie and Jack.

"Good day?" Charlotte asked Jess after he had got off the phone to TJ.

"Yeah it was good." Jess nodded. "They're going to move closer to us apparently."

"They're moving house?" Charlotte asked surprised.

"Apparently so." He said.

"And how do you feel about that?" She asked, glancing at him.

Jess glanced over to the square and saw Doula and Jack excitedly playing together and smiled. "I think it could be pretty cool." He admitted.

"Yeah. Me too." Charlotte smiled.

"How was Lizzie?" He asked.

"Good. Improving all the time." She said happily.

"Good." He smiled.

She glanced at him and smirked. "Want to join in?" She said gesturing to the football game that had started between Jack, Doula, Jamie and April.

"You want play football?" Jess raised his eyebrows.

"No. I just want to kick your ass." She grinned.

"Oh now there's a challenge." He chuckled. "You're on."

"Yes! Come on, bagsy on Jack's team!" She grinned as she dragged Jess towards everyone else. "We're so going to beat you!"

"We'll see." Jess smirked.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**I am constantly overwhelmed by all your support so thank you! :) Here's the next chapter.**

Chapter 29

April awoke to smells coming from the kitchen. It confused her a bit but she soon realised she wasn't in her dorm room and instead she was in Rory's bedroom in Stars Hollow. She smiled slightly as she heard her dad humming quietly to himself. She glanced across at Jamie who was still fast asleep so she carefully got up and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the door quietly and watched her dad as he glided round the kitchen making breakfast.

"Taken to humming now?" She smiled.

"Oh hey." Luke looked over at her in surprise. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, the smells did." She smiled. "What are you making?"

"Bacon, eggs, sausages. Everything basically. Wanted you to have the works." He said.

"Wow, I feel special." She teased going to sit down at the table.

"You are special." Luke said glancing over at her. "You hungry?"

"Yes please." April nodded.

"Here." He smiled giving her plate of everything. He then sat down with a plate himself. He looked up to see April smirking at him. "What?" He said.

"You're actually eating that plate full of fat?" She said.

"Why not? It's a special occasion. You're here." He shrugged.

April smiled slightly. "You really don't mind me gatecrashing your weekend?" She said quietly.

"Of course not. I love seeing you, you know that." Luke said. He glanced at her. "How are you doing?" He asked.

April shrugged. "I'm doing ok."

"That doesn't sound very convincing." Luke said, watching her eat her breakfast. "Look, April, I know I'm not exactly one to talk about feelings and stuff but I never want you to feel like you can't talk to me about yours." He said softly. "I'm your dad. You can tell me anything and I will try and help you as much as I can."

April sighed. "I've been struggling." She admitted, finally meeting his eyes. "I just don't want to put it all on you. You've had to deal with a lot. With...well...Aunt Liz..." She said quietly.

"It's been hard. But you are so important to me, April. I want you to feel like you can talk to me, ok? No matter what." He said.

April glanced up at him and nodded slowly. "Ok." She said quietly. "Thanks."

Luke nodded. He glanced at her, wanting to say more but he thought against it. "So that boyfriend of yours is still sleeping then?" He asked.

"Yeah. We were up late last night and the night before so I think he was tired." She said.

"Do I even want to know why you were up late?" Luke said gruffly.

"Eww dad, no!" April exclaimed.

Luke smirked slightly. "Just wondering."

April narrowed his eyes at him. "Since when are you so cool with me having a boyfriend?" She said.

Luke shrugged. "Jamie seems like a good guy." He said. "Plus, well, life's too short to hold grudges." He said glancing at her.

"Yeah.." April said quietly, knowing he was thinking about Liz.

"He treats you well, right?" He checked.

"He's amazing." April smiled softly.

"Then as long as he makes you happy, I'm happy for you." Luke said.

"Thanks dad." She said softly.

* * *

"Why are you up so early?" Jess asked as Charlotte walked into the living already dressed, ready to go out.

"I told mom I'd help her out at the inn today. Plus Mia's there today and I want to spend some time with her. I feel like because we've been at the hospital everyday, I haven't made the effort to spend time with her so I said I would today." She said.

"Ah, I see you got the idea of sibling time from me." Jess smirked.

"Maybe." Charlotte grinned. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, that's fine. I'll take Jack to the hospital with me. He's been asking us when he can visit her anyway." Jess said.

"Yeah, you're right." Charlotte said. She hesitated for a moment. "You don't think Lizzie will hold this against me, do you? You know, not visiting her today..." She said.

"No." Jess assured her. "I didn't go yesterday, remember." He said.

"I know but...I feel like I should be there everyday." She said.

"I'll give her a kiss from you." Jess smiled. "Spend the day with Mia. She'll love it."

"Yeah? Yeah..ok." Charlotte said. She gave him a kiss. "Make sure to give her a kiss though ok?"

"Of course." Jess smiled. "Have fun." He said.

"Thanks." She smiled before leaving.

* * *

"You really don't mind helping out in here?" Luke asked as he wiped the counter at the diner, glancing across at April who was making more coffee. "Wouldn't you prefer to spend the time with Jamie?"

"He's fine. He brought me here to spend time with you and that's what I intend to do." April smiled. "It's what I want to do."

"Ok." Luke said smiling slightly.

"Besides he said he'd pop in at some point today anyway." April said.

"Ah I see! I knew you couldn't go the whole day without seeing him." Luke teased.

"Yeah and I bet you still can't go a day without seeing Lorelai and you've known her years." April retorted.

"Fair point." Luke smirked. "New subject?"

"Please." April said just as a group of guys. "Oh hold that thought. I'll serve these." She said. "Hi, what can I get you?" She smiled at them.

"Well how about you get us some burgers and then you join us for a drink?" One of the guys smiled.

"We don't serve alcohol here." Luke said gruffly having heard them.

"Well a soft drink then. So long as you join us, beautiful." The guy said. "I'm Tom, by the way."

"April." April said. "Thanks for the offer but I can only offer you the burgers. I am very much taken."

"We're not bothered by that if you aren't." Tom said cockily.

"Get out." Luke said.

"Dad!" April said surprised.

"I'm not going to let them talk to you like that." Luke said firmly. "Not when you've been through...well, you know." He said hesitantly. "Get out." He told them.

"Dad, it's fine." She said quietly, placing a hand on his arm. "I'm fine."

Luke let out a breath. "You're sure?"

April turned to the guys. "Go take a seat and we'll bring your food over to you." She said calmly.

"If you change your mind, you know where we are." Tom said giving her a wink and he and his friends went to take a seat, laughing together.

"Are you sure you're ok? I can get rid of them." Luke said.

April saw Jamie walking across the square towards the diner and smiled. "I'm sure." She told him. "Hey!" She smiled as he walked in.

"Hey!" Jamie smiled, leaning over the counter to give her a kiss. "How's it going?"

"Good. Hasn't been too busy." April said.

"Free to have some lunch with me?" He asked.

"Oh..uh...I don't know..." April said glancing at her dad.

"You two take a seat and I'll make you some food." Luke smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"All employees are entitled to a lunch break." He said.

"Yeah but I'm not an official employee." She said.

"Still entitled to lunch. Go, take a break, it's fine." He smiled.

"Ok, thanks dad." April grinned and went and sat down at a table with Jamie. She couldn't help but glance over at Tom and his friends and she was slightly unnerved when she found them all watching her. She took a deep breath and turned her attention onto Jamie.

* * *

"More help has arrived!" Charlotte exclaimed as she walked up to the reception desk at the Dragonfly where Michel and Mia were.

"Oh joy." Michel said sarcastically.

"Aw Michel, I'm sad you don't seem that happy to see me." She teased.

"Because I know you." He drawled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She grinned. "Mia, has he been this grumpy all morning?"

"No, he's normally happy when I work with him." Mia said.

"Michel, happy? Really?" She smirked.

"Yeah, he tells jokes to me and he makes me laugh!" Mia beamed.

"Really?" Charlotte smirked. "Aw Michel, why did you never tell me and Rory any jokes?"

"Because Mia is less annoying than the both of you. And I see you have not changed." Michel said.

"Not really." She shrugged, grinning. "So what are we doing?"

"Sorting his post it notes!" Mia grinned.

"You are going nowhere near my system." Michel eyed Charlotte.

"Why not?" She exclaimed dramatically.

"You know why not." He said. "You can organise these files in chronological order." He told her handing her a huge pile of papers.

"Why do I get the boring job?" Charlotte pouted.

"Because today I am in charge." Michel smirked slightly.

"Where's mom?"

"Busy in a meeting. She told me I was in charge."

"Hmm, I will believe that when I hear it from her." Charlotte said.

"So you won't do it?" Michel scowled.

"Oh, no, I'll do it. Anything to help you, Michel." She grinned.

"You are just like your mother. I'm going to the lavatory." He said before stalking off.

"So you seriously enjoy working with that grump?" Charlotte joked.

"He's funny normally! He's really nice to me and he's been teaching me french." Mia said enthusiastically.

"Huh. Guess he has another side to him then." She laughed.

"Why are you mean to him?" Mia asked.

"What, I'm not mean!" Charlotte said surprised.

"You made him mad."

"Everyone makes him mad." She shrugged. She saw her sister's concerned face and sighed. "I was just teasing him, Mia. He knows that. Rory and I have known him for years. He's used to us. Plus he has to deal with mom every day." She said.

Mia smiled slightly at that. "Yeah, mom does really make him mad." She giggled.

"Exactly!" Charlotte smirked.

"Will you be nice to him? For me?" Mia asked.

Charlotte groaned. "Seriously? Teasing Michel is my favourite pasttime!"

"But I like Michel! I like working with him. I don't want him to get mad and then I can't work with him anymore." She said.

Charlotte saw her worried face and felt a bit guilty. "He won't, don't worry." She assured him. She sighed. "Ok, for you, I'll be on my best behaviour."

"Thanks!" She grinned. "Michel said these need to be sorted as well." She said, pointing to some more papers.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't believe you just played me. I just got played by my five year old sister." She said but smirked slightly.

* * *

April was coming out of the ladies' toilets when she bumped into Tom. "Geez, what are you doing hovering outside the ladies' toilets? You could get arrested for that!" She exclaimed.

"Well I was hoping to meet a pretty girl. And I have." Tom grinned. "So it was worth it."

April felt herself shiver slightly. "Excuse me, I need to go." She said trying to get past him.

"So fast? We haven't got to know each other yet!" He said standing in her way.

"Just let me pass." April said feeling herself starting to get worked up.

"Come on, your boyfriend may be good looking but I can assure you I'm a good catch too. Let's have some fun." He smiled, putting a hand on his arm.

"Just let me pass!" She exclaimed, getting freaked out, feeling tears in her eyes. She managed to push past him and rushed back into the diner. "Jamie, can we go?" She asked.

"Uh...sure. Are you ok? You're shaking." Jamie said concerned.

"I just need to get out of here." April said tremulously.

"April?" Luke said concerned having see her rush out in a state.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean to upset you. It was only a bit of fun." Tom said sheepishly appearing from the toilets as well.

"What did you do?" Luke said angrily.

"Nothing. He didn't do anything. I just need to go. Please?" She begged Jamie.

"Yeah ok. We'll go. Come on." Jamie said leading her out, giving Tom a glare as he did so.

April glanced back as Jamie led her away from the diner to see Tom and his friends being kicked out and she watched as they slunk off together. She let out a breath and tried to get her breathing back to normal.

* * *

Charlotte glanced across at Michel while she sorted through the papers. Mia had gone off to help their mom with something. "So...my sister seems to like you a lot..." She said.

Michel glanced over at her. "The feeling's mutual." He said.

"She said you're always nice to her. I never knew you knew how to be nice. Or funny!" She said smirking slightly.

"That's because you and Rory did everything you could to annoy me." Michel said but he smirked slightly.

"Yeah but you love us really." Charlotte grinned.

"I guess you're not too bad." Michel shrugged.

"Praise indeed." She smirked. She glanced at him after a moment. "Mia really enjoys working with you. Thank you...for being nice to her." She said sincerely.

"She's a good kid." He shrugged. "It's hard not to like her."

Charlotte smiled. "No, it's not." She said softly. "Well Mia has made me promise to be nice to you today so I'm guessing you'll take full advantage of that."

"Oh I intend to." Michel smirked. He glanced over at her. "You know, if you and Rory weren't as annoying as your mother, I might be nicer to you both."

"Yeah but what would be the fun in that?" Charlotte grinned.

"Well I'm glad I amuse you so much." He drawled.

"Aw Michel, you know we love you really." She grinned.

Michel just rolled his eyes. "Just get back to work." He said.

"Yes sir!" She said giving him a mock salute.

* * *

"April, what happened? What did that guy do?" Jamie said as April sat down on the couch, shaking. "April, please...Talk to me..."

"He didn't do anything." April said quietly.

"This doesn't look like nothing. He got you in this state. Please just talk to me. Tell me if I need to go beat him up." Jamie said.

"He didn't do anything." She repeated. She let out a shaky breath and glanced at him. "Honestly. He didn't." She said.

"Ok...but you're in this state so something must have happened." Jamie said softly.

"He was just...he was flirting with me." She admitted. "I told him I was taken, that I had a boyfriend. He was just messing around. But then he was there when I came out of the toilet and he was saying these things. I was telling him to move but he wouldn't. I guess...I guess it just took me back and it freaked me out a bit." She said quietly.

"That...jerk! I'll kill him..." Jamie said angrily.

"No!" April said quickly.

"What?"

"I don't think he meant it like that." She said.

"What?" He said confused. "April, you're in a state because of this guy."

"Yes but that's down to me. And what happened to me with Toby. Tom...yes he was a cocky jerk but I don't think he meant any harm. He's not a Toby." She said quietly.

Jamie sighed. "April..." He said softly.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just...I thought I was getting over it but..." She sniffed slightly.

"Come here." He said softly pulling her towards him. "It's ok." He comforted her.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you finish your lunch." She said quietly.

Jamie had to laugh at that. "That's ok. I wasn't that hungry anyway."

April smiled slightly and let out a breath. "Can we just hang out here today?"

"Of course. We can do anything you like." Jamie assured him.

April sighed and snuggled in with him. "Thanks." She said softly.

"For what?"

"For just...being here." She said.

"I'll always be here for you, you know that." Jamie said softly, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you." April said quietly.

"I love you too." He said.

* * *

"So how was it?" Jess asked as he and Charlotte snuggled together on the couch for the evening.

"Yeah it was good. I enjoyed spending time with Mia." She smiled. "Although she made me be nice to Michel."

"I bet you loved that." He smirked.

"Ah, it wasn't that bad." She smirked. "She seems really taken by him though. She loves working with him."

"Seriously?" Jess laughed.

"Exactly my reaction." Charlotte grinned. "But I guess he's different with her. I started to see that today and well, it was nice." She shrugged. "It's nice to know she has someone else looking out for her, I guess." She admitted.

"Yeah that's good." Jess smiled.

"Lizzie ok?" She asked.

"Growing stronger every day." He nodded.

"I can't wait until we can get her home." She sighed leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Me neither." He said. "Hopefully not too long now."

"Hopefully." She smiled.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think! Thanks again for all yours support! :)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you for all your support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 30

A month had passed and Charlotte and Jess were out in the park with Jack.

"Is Lizzie really coming home at the weekend?" Jack asked as he kicked a football along the grass.

"Yep she's really coming home." Jess said exchanging a smile with Charlotte.

"So is she all better?" Jack asked.

"The hospital wouldn't let her come home with us if she wasn't." Jess told him.

"Your sister has been looked after so well by all the doctors at the hospital and they're confident she's strong enough to come home." Charlotte smiled at him.

"So she's better?" Jack asked again.

"She's much better than she was, yes." Jess nodded. "And the doctors are confident she's going to be healthy."

"Can I start reading books to her then when she comes home?" He asked.

"I'm sure she'd like that." Jess smirked slightly. "But now, let's play some soccer. Bet you can't score against me." He said getting the ball and dribbling off with it.

"Bet I can!" Jack grinned rushing after him.

"Guys wait up!" Charlotte laughed running after them.

"No way!" Jess grinned but as he was running along, he didn't notice a person walking towards him and he bumped right into her, nearly knocking her off her feet. "Oh sorry.." He said sheepishly.

"Excuse my husband, he turns into a kid when we're out with our son." Charlotte smirked.

"Don't worry about it!" The girl laughed.

"I really am sorry." Jess said, glancing at her and finding her vaguely familiar.

"It's fine. I'm not normally swept off my feet so thanks." She joked. "I better get on." She said smiling at them and walking past them.

"Sorry about him." Charlotte smirked. "See..." She smirked at Jess.

"It was an accident." He defended.

"Uh huh..." She smirked.

"Wait..." They heard the girl speak again.

They turned round to see her walking towards them again.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked looking at Jess.

"Uh..I don't think so." Jess said.

"He's an author." Charlotte said. "Maybe you've recognised him from his books?"

"Charlotte..." Jess said embarrassed.

"Could be that." The girl contemplated. "Wait, Jess? Jess Mariano?" She said.

"Uh yeah..." He said.

"That's right! We hooked up one night. Well, we nearly hooked up." She laughed. "Do you remember? I'm Molly. We met at a bar in Hartford."

Jess glanced at Charlotte and saw her tense. "Uh...no, I don't remember that. You must have the wrong person." He said.

"No, I'm sure it was you." She said.

"Well you were at a bar so it must have meant you were drinking. I'm pretty sure you got the wrong person." Jess said.

"No, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the one who was drunk. You were downing all those beers so I offered for you to come back to my place. Well I'm not surprised you don't remember. But I know for certain it was you. I'm not the kind of person who just has one night stands. Well nearly have a one night stand." She joked.

"What's a one night stand?" Jack asked innocently.

"We should get going." Jess said, glancing at Charlotte who had her arms crossed against her chest and whose face had gone pale. He saw her grab Jack's hand and walk off. "I need to go. Bye." He told Molly who looked confused as he went rushing after Charlotte. "Charlotte wait!" He said. "Charlie, please!" He pleaded.

Charlotte took a deep breath but stopped. "Jack, why don't you go feed the ducks over there?" She said.

"But what's a one night stand?" Jack asked again.

"Nothing important. Go on, I'll be over in a bit." She forced a smile.

"Are you two going to fight?" He asked looking between them.

"No, no fighting. I promise." Charlotte said. "Go on."

"Ok." Jack said and wandered off to feed the ducks.

"No fighting?" Jess said hesitantly.

"That was her, wasn't it? The girl you cheated on me with." Charlotte said quietly.

"I...I..."

"Don't lie to me, please. She seemed to remember you well." She said.

Jess sighed. "Look, I was very drunk that night. You know I was. But...yes, she did look familiar. But I couldn't say for sure." He admitted.

"Well...she's pretty." Charlotte said stiffly, crossing her arms against her chest again.

"Charlie..." Jess sighed.

"I'm going to go get Jack. I think we'll head home." She said.

"Please don't be like this. We got past this years ago!" Jess exclaimed.

"I just need...some space, that's all. I'll see you later." Charlotte said, walking off.

Jess watched her walk off to get Jack and he watched them walk off together, leaving the park. He sighed but turned round, respecting her need for some space. He'd walk back to theirs in a bit. He was walking along when he saw Molly infront of him again. "What do you want?" He grumbled.

"I'm sorry, did I step into something just then?" Molly asked.

"Apart from bringing up ancient history, no not at all." Jess said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, I..." Molly said confused.

"I was with Charlotte that night I was with you. We were already married. We had already had Jack. What happened that night...well it devastated her and not surprisingly. We broke up for a few months. So I'm sorry I'm not all that accommodating to you but this has just brought all that hurt back." He said.

"I...I'm sorry." Molly said shocked. "I didn't know..."

"Yeah of course you didn't." He snorted.

"Hey! I wasn't the one in the wrong that night! I was single. And you didn't tell me you were married!" She frowned. "If I had known that, I never would have done...well, you know..."

Jess let out a breath. "I'm sorry. I know it wasn't your fault. It's just...it took us so long to get past what I did that night. I don't want it to break us up again."

Molly sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have thought before I started saying all that stuff. When you said she was your wife, I never thought it meant she was all those years ago...I never would have mentioned it if I had know..."

"I should get going." Jess said.

"I really am sorry." She said.

"It's fine. But I should go." He said. "Bye..."

"Yeah...bye..." Molly said.

* * *

"Hey hot stuff!" Lorelai grinned walking up to the counter.

"You know I hate you calling me that." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Why? It's true. You are hot! Everyone in the town thinks it." She grinned.

"Yeah like who?"

"Patty, Babette..." Lorelai said immediately.

"Yeah well they're crazy." Luke said.

"Am I crazy too then?" She said raising her eyebrows.

"You're the craziest." Luke said but smirked slightly. "Hey." He said leaning over to give her a kiss.

"Hi!" She grinned.

"Where's Mia?" He asked.

"At the inn with Michel and Sookie. I just came here to get us some food." She smiled.

"She likes hanging out there huh?" Luke said.

"She really does." Lorelai smiled. "It's kind of nice. I still remember Charlotte and Rory hanging out there all the time. It's nice that Mia enjoys it as well."

"Yeah it's nice." Luke smiled. "And she still loves hanging out with Michel?" He smirked.

"Yep! And before you say anything, yes I find it weird as well!" Lorelai laughed.

"Well, at least she's having fun during her school holidays." He smiled.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Do you think Sookie might be free to babysit her tonight?" He asked, glancing at her.

"I don't know, probably. Why?" She asked.

"Well I was sort of hoping we could maybe go out for a meal?" Luke said.

"Oh yeah?" She grinned. "What's the occasion?"

"Does there have to be one?" He asked.

"No, I guess not." Lorelai smiled softly. "So what time?"

"7 ok?"

"7's good." She said.

"7 it is then." He smiled. "So what will you have?" He asked.

* * *

Jess returned back to the flat later that afternoon. He cautiously went inside and he found Charlotte sat at the table doing some sketching. "Hey..." He said nervously.

"Hi." She said quietly.

He slowly walked over to her. "Nice." He said gesturing to the sketch. "Haven't seen you sketch for a while." He said.

"Yeah well it...calms me down." She said, glancing at him.

Jess sighed and sat down next to her. "Charlotte..."

"Do you think she's prettier than me?" Charlotte asked.

"What?" He said surprised.

"Molly. I mean, that night, you must have thought she was pretty..." She shrugged.

"I was drunk and angry that night. I would have gone with anyone!" He said. He saw Charlotte giving him a look. "Ok, yeah, that's not helping, Jess." He said. He looked at her and took hold of her hands. "Charlotte, to me, you are the most beautiful girl in the whole world. That's never going to change." He said sincerely.

"You mean that?" She said quietly.

"Of course." Jess said softly. "I love you. You are the one for me. You have always been the one for me. You know that right?"

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah I know." She admitted. "I just...I guess I just didn't expect bumping into her in the park. It's a part of our past I don't really want reminding of." She said quietly.

"Yeah, I didn't exactly expect it either. I'm not exactly proud of that time of my life." He said, glancing at her. "That was the biggest regret of my life and I didn't exactly want to be reminded of it either."

"She seemed nice though..." She said hesitantly.

"I guess she is." Jess said cautiously.

"Why would she say all that stuff infront of me then though? I don't get it." She said.

"It's not her fault." Jess said, seeing Charlotte frown. He sighed. "She had no idea about you. She didn't know that night that I was married and she didn't know today that she was bringing up ancient history for us."

Charlotte sighed. "I guess it just brought stuff up for me, that's all."

"You know I love you right?" Jess said softly. "I didn't know she was going to be in that park today. Please...can we just forget it ever happened?"

"I guess..." She said quietly.

"You're 100 times prettier than she is. You're amazing, funny, kind and you're the one I want to spend my life with. Not her." He said. "I love you."

"I love you too." She gave him a small smile.

Jess let out a relieved breath. "Yeah?" He said.

"Yeah." She smiled softly. "But...maybe we can stay away from that park in the future..." She said smirking slightly.

Jess chuckled, relieved. "Yeah I think that would be a good idea. Come here." He smiled pulling her towards him and hugging her. "I love you." He said kissing her. "And on Saturday, our family will finally be complete."

Charlotte smiled. "I can't wait." She said softly, giving him a kiss. "And I love you too."

* * *

"I've missed this place." Lorelai said as she and Luke sat at a table at Sniffy's.

"Yeah it's been a while." Luke nodded.

"It's been a while since we've been out, just the two of us, as well." She smiled. "I'm glad you suggested doing this."

"Me too." Luke smiled. "I just thought, what with everything that has happened recently with the crash and April, it would be nice to spend some time together."

"Yeah, definitely." She said softly. "How is April doing? Have you heard from her?"

"Yeah, she's doing ok. She's not completely there yet but she's much better." He nodded.

"That's good." Lorelai smiled. "And Lizzie's coming home on Saturday. Plus Sam's found a job in London and him and ROry seem to be doing good. Things are finally looking up, aren't they?"

"Looks that way." He nodded.

"I forgot how good the food is here." Lorelai grinned tucking into her plate.

"Even better than mine?" Luke teased.

"Oh nothing's better than yours!" She grinned. "But this is nice." She smiled softly.

"Yeah. It is." He said softly.

"I love you."

Luke smiled. "I love you too." He said softly.

"So...want to see if Mia can sleep over at Sookie's tonight?" She grinned.

Luke chuckled. "Call her now." He smirked.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep leaving reviews as I love reading what you think! Thanks again for your continued support. It really does mean so much to me! :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you for all your support! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 31

"It's going to be a busy weekend." Jess commented as he, Charlotte and Jack walked into their flat having finally been able to bring Lizzie home.

"Yeah, I can't believe my dad's wedding is tomorrow. It's come so quickly. What with Lizzie coming home today and then travelling to Boston tomorrow morning, I can't believe it's all happening at once." Charlotte said. "Come on, we told my mom and Luke we'd drop by once we were back."

"Yeah ok." Jess said. He smiled down at Lizzie who was in a baby carrier. "I can't believe she's finally home."

"I know. Doesn't seem real, does it?" Charlotte smiled.

"No, not really." Jess said honestly.

"Come on, we should get ready to go. You know what my mom will be like if we keep her waiting any longer." Charlotte joked.

Jess smirked. "Oh yeah, I know."

About an hour later, they were pulling into the driveway to the Crap Shack and they were just getting Lizzie out of the car when Lorelai came rushing out. "There you are! About time!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry, we had a nappy emergency." Charlotte smirked.

"Well you're here now! Let me have a cuddle with my granddaughter!" She grinned, taking Lizzie off them and rushing back to the house, where Luke was now stood on the steps.

"Oh no, I'm fine thanks mom. I'm really excited to have Lizzie home." Charlotte said.

Jess smirked. "What did you expect? She was the same with Jack."

"True." Charlotte laughed. "Come on, let's head in. Come on Jack." She smiled opening the door for him to jump out. Jack rushed inside while Charlotte and Jess locked up the car before walking towards the house but stopped when they heard another car coming. "No way!" She exclaimed.

Jess smirked. "Surprise." He said.

"You knew they were coming?" Charlotte exclaimed, a beam appearing on her face.

"Sam messaged me." He said.

"Charlie!" Rory exclaimed excitedly jumping out of the car.

"Rory!" Charlotte grinned, running to give her sister a hug. "I thought you two were coming tomorrow morning and meeting us in Boston?"

"What, and miss my niece getting out of hospital? No way!" Rory smiled.

"I'm so happy you're here! I've missed you so much!" Charlotte said.

"Me too!" Rory said, giving her another hug.

"Let's go surprise mom!" Charlotte grinned.

"Well...uh...she might have already known I was coming earlier." Rory admitted.

"What, so everyone knew except me?" She said.

"Pretty much." Jess smirked. "Thought you deserved a surprise." He added. "Hey!" He smiled as Sam came to join them, giving him a manly hug.

"Hey!" Sam smiled. "Hey Charlotte!" He smiled giving her a hug too.

"Hey!" She grinned. "Come on, let's head in. Mom's already taken Lizzie hostage." She joked.

"What else is new?" Rory laughed as they all headed inside.

* * *

"You're staying over tonight right?" Rory asked Charlotte as they sat in the living room, Lizzie in Rory's arms, later that day.

"We weren't going to. We wanted Lizzie to have her first night at our place but seeing as you're here, we might stay." Charlotte smiled.

"Great, then we can all drive together tomorrow." Rory said.

"Sounds good." Charlotte smiled. They suddenly heard Jess and Sam laughing from the kitchen. "It's nice that they're able to hang out. I know Jess has missed Sam." She said.

"Likewise. Sam's been great and he likes his new job but I know he misses Jess." Rory agreed. "That's why I thought it would be nice to come a day earlier. When I heard Lizzie was coming out of hospital today, it definitely made my mind up." She smiled down at her niece. "She really is beautiful, Charlie."

"We like her." Charlotte smiled.

"Can I hold her?" Mia asked jumping up onto the couch next to them.

"Of course." Charlotte smiled at their youngest sister. "Put your arms out." She instructed. "And make sure you have one hand under her head at all times." She said handing Lizzie over carefully.

"Like this?" Mia asked nervously.

"Perfect! You're a natural!" Charlotte smiled at her, causing Mia to beam in delight.

"So can you actually believe that dad is getting married tomorrow?" Rory said.

Charlotte laughed. "I don't think I ever thought dad would get married!"

Rory laughed. "Don't be mean!"

"It's true though. He was into mom for such a long time and then he had relationships but they never worked out." Charlotte said. "But...it's nice he found Penny. It's nice to finally see him genuinely happy."

"Yeah it is. And Penny's great, isn't she?" Rory smiled.

"Yeah she is. Gigi loves her!" She said.

"We're just going to go grab some food for us." Sam said as he and Jess appeared from the kitchen.

"Ok! Get a lot! We're starving!" Rory grinned.

"What else is new?" Jess smirked, giving Charlotte a quick peck as Sam did the same thing with Rory. "See you in a bit."

"Bye!" Charlotte grinned.

"Luke, come on! You know I can't function without coffee!" Lorelai exclaimed following Luke downstairs.

"There is coffee." Luke said.

"Decaf! When have I ever liked decaf?" She exclaimed. "You're really going to deprive me of my coffee?"

"Uh..let me think...Yeah." He smirked, heading into the kitchen.

"You know I will find out where you've hidden it! I always do!" She called after him, following him.

"Go ahead." Luke said.

"Luuuke!" Lorelai whined, disappearing from view.

Rory grinned at Charlotte. "Oh it's good to be home." She laughed.

"It's good to have you home." Charlotte grinned.

* * *

"Dad!" Charlotte smiled as they spotted their dad in the hotel.

"Hey, you made it!" Chris smiled giving his daughters a hug.

"Like we'd missed today." Rory smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit nervous. But excited. Really excited." He smiled.

"We know the feeling." Charlotte grinned.

"How's my granddaughter?" He smiled looking down at Lizzie in her arms.

"She's good." She beamed. "She fell asleep on the way here."

"Well make sure you bring her over to me when she's awake so I can have a cuddle." Chris said.

"I will." She smiled.

"Where's Jack?" He asked.

"Upstairs in our room with Jess. He's unpacking for us."

"Well I should finish getting ready. But I'm so happy you two are here. It wouldn't be the same without you." He said sincerely.

"We wouldn't miss it for anything." Rory said sincerely.

"Yeah, we're really happy for you, dad." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Thanks." He smiled touched. "So...I guess I'll see you at the church."

"See you at the church." Charlotte grinned.

* * *

"You did it!" Charlotte exclaimed as she and Rory rushed up to their dad at the party afterwards. The ceremony had gone smoothly and there were several tears as Chris and Penny exchanged their vows.

"It was so sweet for you to have Gigi up their with you while you did your vows. It was nice to include her in that." Rory smiled.

"Well today was as much about her than it was about me and Penny. I'm glad you two were stood up there as well next to Penny. It meant a lot to her." He smiled.

"Penny's great, dad. We're so happy you found her and you're so happy." Charlotte smiled. "It's so nice to...well...finally see you settled and happy."

"Yeah I know I don't have the best track record but as soon as I met Penny, I knew." Chris admitted. "I knew she was the one."

"That's great, dad. Really." Rory said softly. "And we really like Penny."

"Congratulations dad." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Yeah congratulations." Rory smiled.

"Thanks." Chris smiled just as music started to play for the first dance. "I think that's my cue." He said.

"Enjoy!" Charlotte said as they watched him go towards the dance floor and start to dance with Penny. "He looks so happy."

"Yeah. He does." Rory smiled.

Meanwhile, also watching by the side were Luke and Lorelai. Luke glanced at Lorelai. "You doing ok?" He asked.

Lorelai looked at him. "Yeah, why?" She asked confused.

"Well...watching your ex, a significant ex, get married to someone else. It must have been a bit weird." He said cautiously.

"I guess." She admitted. "But I'm happy for him. Him and Penny are so good together. I'm glad he's finally found happiness." She said.

"Yeah, they do look very happy." Luke said glancing at the happy couple. "Reminds you of our wedding day, doesn't it? That feeling..."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah it does." She said softly, glancing at him. "It's a good feeling, isn't it?"

"A very good feeling." He smiled softly.

Lorelai watched as it was announced that Chris and Penny would like couples to join them on the dance floor. She smiled as she saw Jess and Charlotte, and Rory and Sam start dancing. Jack, Mia and Lizzie were with Emily and Richard who had also been invited to the wedding. "I'm glad the girls are on good terms with Chris now. That's all I've ever wanted." She admitted.

"Yeah it's nice they could be here." Luke agreed. He glanced at her and smiled. "Fancy a dance?" He asked.

"Why, Luke Danes, I thought you'd never ask!" She grinned, taking hold of his hand.

* * *

It was getting late and the party was in full swing now. Chris and Penny walked up to Luke and Lorelai. "Hey Lor, fancy a dance? For old times sake?" Chris asked.

Lorelai glanced at Luke who just smiled at her. "Sure, Chris." She smiled softly.

"I'll swap you." Chris offered Luke.

"Sure. But I'll have to warn you that I'm not the best dancer." Luke told Penny.

Penny laughed. "I find that hard to believe. I saw you out there with Lorelai."

"He just likes to pretend he's rubbish and then he'll get compliments." Lorelai teased.

Penny laughed. "Sounds like Chris!" She joked.

Luke glanced at Chris. "I think that's the first time people have compared us and actually likened us to each other." He smirked.

Chris chuckled. "You're probably right." He said as they all headed to the dance floor. Chris smiled at Lorelai. "Thanks for coming today, Lor." He said.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it, Chris." Lorelai said honestly. "I'm really happy for you. You and Penny...you fit."

"Yeah...thanks." He smiled, glancing over at Penny who was now dancing with Luke. "We've been pretty lucky, haven't we?" He said.

"How's that?" She asked.

"Well, we've both found someone who thinks the world of our kids and who would do anything for them." Chris said.

Lorelai smiled at that and glanced over at Penny and Luke who had now been joined by Charlotte, Rory and Gigi who were now dancing with their respective step parents. "Yeah it's pretty cool." She said softly. "It's a great feeling, isn't it? Being this much in love." She grinned.

Chris laughed. "Oh yeah! Definitely!"

Lorelai smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Things are only beginning, Chris. Enjoy the ride."

"I'm intending to." He smiled. They both started laughing as they saw Charlotte and Rory goofing around with their husbands now. "I still can't quite believe our girls are married." He said.

"Tell me about it! I still see them as sweet little 8 year olds!" Lorelai joked.

"You did a great job with them, Lor." Chris said softly.

"We did a good job with them." She smiled.

"I did nothing. You know that." Chris brushed her off.

"You may not have been there for them at the beginning as much as you'd have liked to have been but you are now and have been for years now. We both made them, Chris. And they really do think a lot of you now. They're so happy that you're in their lives now and that you want to be." Lorelai said softly. "Stop putting yourself down. We all make mistakes but you've more than made up for them."

"Thanks Lor." He said softly.

"So say it."

"Say what?"

"Say we did a good job." She smiled.

Chris smiled. "We did a good job." He said softly.

"Congratulations Chris. Today has been great." Lorelai said.

"Thanks." He said softly. "What do you say, should we go dance with our family?"

"I think that's a great idea!" She grinned. "Come on!" She grinned, grabbing his hand and they both headed over to join the dance party that was happening.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! Your support really does motivate me to continue writing so thank you so much! :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**So very sadly I have come to the decision to end this. I've been feeling that it has been coming to an end to a while now and I feel like the last chapter was a poignant ending. However, I didn't want to just leave you with this note so I've written a little epilogue for you all. :) I want to take this moment to say thank you so much for all your amazing support over The Gilmore Twins and This is Life. It has been a great experience for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this. But all things must come to an end at some point but I hope you all follow my new story. :)**

 **Hope you like this ending! Sorry it's short but hopefully it's sweet! :)**

Epilogue

 _"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to Lizzie! Happy Birthday to you!"_ Everyone sang and then cheered and Lizzie stuck her hand into the birthday cake Jess had baked for her.

"She's 1. I can't believe our daughter is 1." Charlotte said softly standing next to Jess in the living room of the Crap Shack as Lizzie smeared her mouth in frosting.

"Seems like yesterday that we brought her home from hospital, doesn't it?" Jess smiled.

"It really does. It's been such a journey for her but I can't believe we're actually stood here celebrating her 1st birthday." Charlotte smiled. "She's amazing."

"She takes after you." Jess smirked as Lizzie stuffed the cake in her mouth

Charlotte laughed. "We did pretty well, didn't we?" She smiled glancing over at Jack who was sat with Lane and Zach, who had their twin sons with them. Jack loved spending time with them.

Jess smiled. "Yeah we did." He said softly.

Meanwhile, Luke and Lorelai were upstairs in the nursery. "There you go, Will. Time for your afternoon nap." Lorelai smiled softly as she put her one month old son into his crib.

"Today's really exhausted him." Luke chuckled.

"Yep! Well babies tire easily." Lorelai laughed. She smiled down at their son who had already fallen asleep. "I still can't believe he's here." She said.

"Me neither." Luke smiled. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lorelai smiled.

* * *

Later that evening, Charlotte and Jess were sat with Rory and Sam. "Today's been great." Charlotte smiled. "Thanks for flying over for this guys."

"We wouldn't miss it." Rory smiled. "The party's been great. I bet you're both happy."

"Yeah. We just wanted it to be special." Charlotte nodded. "I mean, I know Lizzie won't even remember today but 1 year ago, we weren't even sure she would be getting to her first birthday so today...well it's been amazing." She said softly.

"Well we're happy to be a part of it." Sam smiled holding up his drink.

"To Lizzie!" Rory smiled holding up her glass as well.

"To Lizzie." Charlotte, Jess and Sam smiled and clinked their glasses.

"And...to Olivia." Jess said softly.

Charlotte smiled softly at him. "To Olivia." She said. "Wherever she may be."

"Mommy, daddy, can we play outside now? You promised we could when Lizzie went to sleep!" Jack said running up to them.

"Parenting duty continues." Jess smirked.

"We did promise him that. You two want to join us?" Charlotte asked Rory and Sam.

"We'll follow you out." Rory smiled.

"Yeah we'll be right there. You want to kick a football around?" Sam smiled at Jack.

"Yes yes! Can we, daddy?" Jack asked Jess.

"Yeah go on then. Go get your jacket first though." Jess chuckled and he and Charlotte followed Jack off to go outside.

A little while later, Rory and Sam were stood on the back porch, watching Charlotte and Jess play football with Jack. They were playing against Luke and Mia who had joined them. Rory glanced at Sam and smiled as he chuckled when he watched Charlotte and Jess celebrate Jack's goal by picking him up and spinning him round, cheering. "They're so good with him, aren't they?" She smiled.

Sam glanced at her and smiled. "Yeah, they're great parents. Jack and Lizzie are great kids though." He said. He glanced at her. "It would be nice to have that one day, huh?" He said casually.

Rory smiled slightly. "Yeah, that would be nice." She said softly.

"Someday huh?" Sam smiled.

"Or...how about sooner than someday?" Rory said casually.

"What?" Sam said confused, turning to her.

"Well, what if it happens sooner than just someday?" She said softly.

"Wait...are you saying? But...you've been drinking tonight!" He said confused.

"Sparkling water." Rory said holding up her glass.

"You're..." Sam said surprised.

"Yeah." She smiled softly. "I'm pregnant." She said.

 **And that is where I'm going to end it! I hope you've loved this story as much as I've loved writing it! Thank you again for all your lovely support. It really has meant so much to me. :)**


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